Amazing Race II: Paper Mario: TTYD Edition
by j-cag
Summary: A new set of twelve teams of two will follow in the footsteps of the original in an amazing race around the Mushroom world for a million Smash coins. Which of these recurring subcharacter duos has what it takes to cross the finish line in first to win?
1. Keelhaul Key Beginning!

Author's Note: August 13, 2006

Welcome, one and all to the sequel to the Amazing Race: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door edition! With twelve new teams, fourteen legs of action, and unknown potential...what will happen? Which team will win? Will the fact that the competitors are all extremely minor sub-characters make a difference? Let's see...

Disclaimer: I don't own the Amazing Race or Nintendo (which includes the PM:TTYD characters). Although Miles and Blaise are my characters, the Yoshi concept belongs to Nintendo._

* * *

_

_Loading the Memory Card in Slot A... The save file has been loaded!_

_Previously...on the Amazing Race..._

_Twelve teams of two took a mind-numbing challenge: a race around the world. These teams had strong friendship, leadership, skills, and smarts. In this race, a team was knocked off in most rounds, but three moved on to the final…where one team came out victorious. Koopley and Koops, the father-and-son team from Petalburg, managed to claim the prize: one million Smash coins. Little did the crowd at the finish line know…twenty-four more would be competing once again…_

* * *

The lush jungles of Keelhaul Key sway by the gentle ocean breezes. A large, loose leaf fell into a small, shallow pool of water, creating ripples on the surface. The reflections of two Yoshis that were leaning against a large tree could be made out after the energy stopped moving over the surface of the water. 

**Miles & Blaise: Hosts (Keelhaul Key Jungle)**

"…This is Keelhaul Key. An island surrounded by treacherous waters and an aura of secrecy…with a remarkably flourishing jungle and intense mysteries…including the treasures of many pirates." Voiced the orange Yoshi, named Miles.

"However, a greater treasure awaits. As a matter of fact, this remote land of adventure will be the starting point in a race around the world." Said the red Yoshi, Blaise.

Twelve brightly colored hot-air balloons can be seen in the distance, floating towards the atoll.

"Twelve new teams are currently being transported here by hot-air balloon, and will reach ground by splashing down on target by a large flying block. These teams are made up of two people with a special relationship, varying in size, species, and age. These teams are…" Blaise trailed off.

(Author's Note: All interviews in the following section are prior-race.)

* * *

(Voiceover occurs at hot-air balloon.) 

**Toodles & Toadia**

"Toodles and Toadia. Two residents of Poshley Heights who have known each other for years through piano lessons."

(Toodles is wearing less make-up than usual, and her hair is pulled back into a ponytail. She is wearing a red T-shirt, a small pearl necklace, a tomboyish yellow skirt that reaches down to her knees, and new red-and-white tennis shoes. Toadia has her brown hair in the usual fashion. She has on a white-and-green shirt featuring "Luigi Fans Don't Lose," blue jeans, and green tennis shoes.)

"Sophistication is a key element to winning. As a formal class lady, I must remain disciplined. Although I will refrain from doing anything crazy, I know that as a team, Toadia and I will pull through and do our best. She has been a pupil to me for three years now, however, I feel that I will be learning quite a bit from her during this experience." Toodles declared.

"My only better choice as a partner would've been Luigi, but…oh well!" Toadia giggled. "I know for a fact that Toodles and I cooperate well together, and that by itself puts us a step ahead of any uncooperative teams. I'm not exactly interested in the prize, though. For me, it's more of trying to impress Luigi! Other than that, I've always wanted to explore new places."

* * *

(Voiceover occurs at hot-air balloon.) 

**To & Too**

"This team has decided to keep their names…as shown."

"To and Too, the younger two of the sisters in the Three Traveling Sisters trio."

(To and Too have their pink and green hair in braids, respectively. They both have on skirts that match their hair and hat color, along with white shirts and blue jackets.)

"Two, Too, and I decided that it was time for the younger of us to go for it out into the world!" To exclaimed.

"And discover even more than what we had found in our previous adventures!" Too continued.

"For exploring is our hobby, and we intend to make use of our global knowledge to win this race!" To followed.

"Because for sister power, anything can happen!" Too screamed out to finish.

* * *

(Voiceover occurs at hot-air balloon.) 

**Hamma & Flare**

"Hamma and Flare. Two specially-powered brothers who fight as a team simultaneously with the third bro, Bamma."

(Dressed in the regular Hammer Bro attire, Hamma has on his helmet, shell, and boots. Flare has on the same, but in his own coloration. Neither have any clothing outside of their shells.)

"Dude, it's only natural that we'd make it onto the race. This thing's only for the strong, and that's what we are! We're gonna blow past all the others!" Hamma clenched his fist.

"There's no doubt about it; we're going to be dragging along the rest. It's just that me and bro have trouble sometimes…he's got some ego problems…" Flare smirked.

"Shut up, you hot-headed freak!"

"Oh yeah! At least I don't hit myself with my own hammer—"

(A/N: Due to the nature of the rest of their interview, we would like to cut off at this point. We apologize for any inconvenience. …Not really.)

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the couple boards the block.) 

**Husband & Wife**

"This team has decided to keep their names…as shown."

"Husband and Wife. A married couple of 'Twilians' who nonchalantly runs the Twilight Town shop."

(Husband's purple skin is covered by his blue jacket, white short sleeve, brown boots, and green work pants, which compliment his signature green hat. His glasses cover his eyes. Wife's blonde hair is left to freely move about her head, except for the part covered by her red bandana. Her short-sleeve is blue, and she has a dark pink apron along with black running shoes.)

"For us, it's merely a matter of not arguing…we've had so many arguments and differences over the years, and it could create quite a bit of conflict within the team. But, all of those disputes have only strengthened our relationship as a loving couple…isn't that right, Wife?" Husband asked tenderly.

"Of course, sugar… We're hoping to advertise our shop in Twilight Town, but of course, we want to have an enjoyable experience to look back on. We're hoping to use our feeble looks to fool the other racers so we can sneak up and make our move to the front." Wife explained.

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the flying block floats out of the balloon.) 

**Screamy & Torque**

"Screamy and Torque. They became best friends while accompanying Luigi on his 'heroic' adventure."

(The marshmallow-like partner's yellow eyes glow with a sincere kindness that greatly contrast from his partner's competitive spark. Torque's hook seems to be sharper than usual.)

"After traveling around with Luigi through the Waffle Kingdom, we're both excited to be going around the world! It's not every day that you get pulled away from your daily life to do something this awesome! Right, Torque?" Screamy inquired.

"Yeah, yeah…just so I can get the money to help repair my kart…" Torque muttered. "Then maybe I'll have enough leftover to bribe people into throwing that Luigi into jail or something…"

"What was that?"

"Huh? Oh, uh…nothing…"

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the flying block slowly descends.) 

**Pa-Patch & Cortez**

"Pa-Patch and Cortez. Reasonably good friends, pirates, and sailing mates."

(Pirate Cortez has his trademark black pirate's hat atop his head. His eerie blue eyes peek out of his sockets. Pa-Patch has his typical pirate appearance with his bone wheel, patch, and striped hat.)

"Keelhaul life has definitely re-fueled a want for adventure…it's been a while since I've left the island, but I'm sure it'll be fun to smell somefin' besides the ocean air. It's just that Sir Cortez…well…" Pa-Patch looked down. "To be honest…he sorta freaks me out…"

"Mi amigo Pa-Patch and I will bring fun to the race, no? Haha, he still has not yet gotten over the ghostly appearances from when we first met…pero, he should be over it…" Cortez cackled. "Our performance does depend on it…y si él falla, él sufrirá..."

"What!"

"Muy bueno, you understand?"

"…Um, no…not really…"

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the flying block slowly descends.) 

**Pungry & Pungent**

"Pungry and Pungent. Punis of the Great Tree, and friends. Both reside in the Great Tree's hidden shop."

(The shopkeeper's blue bulb is a great contrast to his body, which is striped with gray. Pungry, on the other hand, has his bulb hidden under his hat. His eyes are a glassy gray color.)

"Although it'd be nice to win, that's not our main goal. Pungent and I pretty much just want to be able to experience traveling…the Great Tree is an awesome landmark, but it'd be cool to see different places." Pungry remarked.

"Racin' with meh buddy Pungry here's gonna be one wild ride! Although we spend all our time cooped up in the Great Tree, those others are gonna be plumb well surprised how speedy we can be!" Pungent exclaimed.

(A/N: In the game, Pungry has no bulb showing…it's either that its hidden under the hat, or he has none at all…and it's also impossible to tell if those are actually his eyes, or just some shady glasses…either way, I just went ahead and picked.)

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the flying block slowly descends.) 

**Shimi & Waitress**

"One member of this team has decided to keep her name…as shown."

"Shimi and Waitress. Workers aboard the Excess Express' dining cart, and close friends."

(Chef Shimi's orange lips glow in the sunlight. A blue baseball cap has replaced his green chef's hat. Other than that, nothing else covers his brown body. Waitress' heart on her frilly shroom hat stands out, as does her two purple ponytails. She has a pink shirt and skirt on that blend with her pink shoes.)

"Cooking for the Excess Express is fun, but we hardly ever see anything but Rogueport, Poshley Heights, and the Riverside Station. With this experience, we'll be inspired to do better at our jobs upon our return! And anyways…we'll be able to eat—I-I mean, beat the other teams in a jerky! …I-I mean, jiffy!" Shimi stuttered.

"I've worked aboard the Excess Express for a few years now…it's enjoyable, but being stuck there for so long gets so annoying! No shopping, no sightseeing…a girl's gotta have her basic necessities! Although we won't have time to shop, at least we can see things we'll never forget on the race." Waitress smiled.

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the flying block slowly descends.) 

**Andy & King**

"Bandy Andy and King K. Two characters who fight in Glitzville on separate teams, but are best friends."

(The KP Koopa has on his usual yellow shell and boots, along with his spiked choker, bracelets, and sunglasses. Bandy Andy, on the other hand, has the usual green tunic of a regular Big Bandit.)

"What we strive to accomplish in the race is basically just being able to see all that it has to offer. It'll be different competing as a team together, since we both usually lead our own groups…but I don't think it'll affect us too much." Andy shrugged.

"Don't be gettin' negative, dawg! Think it! You use that info-grabbin' talent of yours, and we got this in the bag!" King reminded.

"Yeah, I guess…it'll be fun memorizing new rumors in new places."

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the flying block lands on the target.) 

**Smorgo & Smorga**

"This team has decided to keep their names…as shown."

"Smorgo and Smorga. Two Smorg who are in fact, genderless."

(Both Smorg have no distinguishable physical characteristics, so it's impossible to tell them apart unless they speak.)

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG"

(A/N: For reading purposes, at the start of the first leg and onward, the lovely speech of these two will be translated to make it a lot easier on you.)

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the couple steps off the block.) 

**Zess & Toadsworth**

"Zess T. and Toadsworth. A pair of best friends who are thought to have a deeper relationship."

(The chef's bouncy gray hair is still in the same curly style it has been in. Her yellow Toad cap compliments her red apron and black shirt. Sir Toadsworth has his regular attire: purple jacket, and a purple shirt with yellow buttons.)

"Let's see now…ah, yes. Toadsy and I have known each other for quite some time, we were quite overjoyed to see each other again in Rogueport; our relationship from when we parted ways hadn't changed. It's that kind of cooperation we need to pull off this operation, and we're going to do it right!" Zess smiled at her partner.

"Indeed. Although we might end up being a bit slower than the others, we still have the youthful spirit that they share. Our wisdom should be able to bring us good standings in the race…isn't that right, old bean?" Toadsworth asked.

"Of course…" The two Toads pulled in for a kiss, but the camera shut off before they could.

* * *

(Voiceover occurs as the couple brings up the rear, and starts walking up the beach.) 

**Beldam & Queen**

"Beldam and the Shadow Queen. It is speculated by many that their similar appearances offer a possible relationship hint…but the truth is unknown."

(The ice-using Shadow Siren has her trademark blue striped hat atop her lavender hair. As for the Shadow Queen, she is in her original form, quite similar in looks to her partner. However, she has been somewhat downsized so her tall crown is probably about only two feet above Beldam's head, and her spiral body is instead in the same shape as that of Beldam. Other features about her include her flowing white hair and seemingly translucent appearance, the latter making her look really out of place.)

"I can't believe you! I only brought you back so we could race together, and this is what I get!" Beldam cried.

"Be quiet, Beldam!" The Shadow Queen commanded.

"No! I'm not under you anymore, it's the other way around like you're a magic lil' genie!"

"Are you serious! Ew! How mortifying of an idea; why, I don't even know why you'd even think that! If only I had my powers…"

* * *

The twelve teams shuffled past the shore and walked through the camp. 

"Which one of these teams will be able to put together the right amount of strength, knowledge, and teamwork? How will the very relationship that bonds these partners together handle the stress of traveling thousands upon thousands of miles in unknown places? Who has the greatest will and ambition to brave the tasks? And which team will cross the finish line first to win…the one million Smash coins?" Blaise questioned.

"All of these questions and more will be answered as we begin…the Amazing Race." Miles smirked.

Both Yoshis turned their heads towards the direction that the teams would be approaching from.

* * *

The twelve teams were lined up on the edge of the shallow water. Behind them was an infamous cave, known as Pirate's Grotto—a few barrels could be seen in the entrance. Two figures, the red and blue 'stach statues, jutted out of the waters, seeming to gaze intently upon the cast. In front of them stood Miles and Blaise, and a few yards beyond the hosts, a series of backpacks that lay in a straight line between two ledges. They were divided into twelve groups, each with an envelope and black fanny pack on top. 

Miles seemed to check on Pirate's Grotto to make sure nothing would jump out suddenly and attempt to wreak havoc on the racers. He then turned back toward the group and looked at Blaise, who nodded.

"In just a few minutes,you will all be embarking on a grand adventure around the world. The race is divided into several segments known as legs. In each leg, you will be faced with a set of tasks that you will be required to complete in order to reach a resting point at the end, known as the pit stop. Nine of these are elimination points that you will want to hurry to as fast as you can, because if you're last, you will be eliminated." Miles explained.

"At the start of each leg, you will receive a small bit of money that will have to cover all expenses except for airline tickets, which the race will pay for. You will want to save as much of this money as you can, as you can use it on subsequent legs, and you won't receive any until the beginning of each leg." Blaise said.

Miles continued, "In the end, the final leg will have only three teams battling it out to the finish line. The first team to cross it will win the grand prize…one MILLION Smash coins."

The group of twenty-four erupted in a large cheer, breaking the silence of Keelhaul Key.

"It looks like you are all ready." Blaise observed. "When we give you the signal, you can run over to the luggage you brought with you, where your money is stored in a team credit card inside of the fanny pack. You can open your clue and read what's inside…what you do after that is up to you."

The two Yoshis raised their hands up.

"The world is waiting for you…remember to travel safely and keep to what the restraints of your powers are…" Miles warned. "On your mark…"

Several teams crouched down.

"Get set…" Blaise stated.

"GO!"

The teams flew by Miles and Blaise in an attempt to arrive at the packs first!

* * *

And now for a word from this portion's special guest, live after the race…the missing sibling in the Three Traveling Sisters, Two! 

"Hello, wonderful world!" Two skipped out onto the stage of the building that held the Amazing Race premiere party and struck a dynamically cute pose.

…

"…"

…

"…"

…

"…"

…

"…Oh! Oops…sorry, I'm used to having that 'finishing sentences thing' with my sisters…I've gotten so used to it, it's so hard to stop!"

_"So, tell me…why are you and your sisters named as the three homophones Two, To, and Too?" _Asked the readers.

"That?" Two raised her eyebrow. "Well…those aren't our real names. But, we tricked the race workers by placing those as our names on the registration forms. More of them, since I didn't sign up."

_"I KNEW IT! THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE STUPID, UNUSABLE, IDIOTIC NAM-MMMMF!" _Yelled a member of the audience at the AR premier party.

"It's funny!" Two started laughing because the random audience member's muffler hadn't noticed that he/she/it was turning purple from getting no air. Eventually, all of the audience began laughing, including the he/she/it that was running out of air, but seemed to be somehow breathing fine because it had no gills and was completely weird, making fun of a joke that the producers were going to completely utilize to the fullest because they can.

_"Are you really the oldest sister?" _Inquired a reader.

"Actually, we keep that as top-secret. It was just an excuse that they gave to me to sign up as a team. Before I realized that it went against our oath, they had already signed up…" Two shrugged. "At least I can cheer for 'em as they go around the world! WOO! YEAH! Not even relatives get to know who wins until the final episode airs."

_"So, what does this new season of the race provide that the previous one doesn't?"_

"Um…let's see…this second season supposedly offers thirteen legs before bringing up the finale as the fourteenth…four non-elimination locations…it's also supposed to not have any more changes in team introducing during the race, ya know those bold things? Yeah…let me think…" Two thought extensively for a moment before perking up. "Oh, yeah! It's also supposed to have two destinations that are purely author-created, and a special guest commentary after each segment. That person's going to provide clues about where the next leg takes place, and steal some of the author's note lines…which I've done! Let's see…the first leg isn't too far from home…but it's a true cement maze."

Two giggled and curtsied as the crowd applauded.

* * *

Author's Note: All of the teams should be a bit more in-character than the cast of the first race, with the exception of probably Screamy/Torque, King K., Shadow Queen, Toodles, and Chef Shimi. In other words, a lot. I'll try to do my best to stay in their mindset, but meanwhile…read on! 


	2. Leg 1: Cement Maze! Trouble Tour!

-----

…The twelve teams were lined up on the edge of the shallow water. Behind them was an infamous cave, known as Pirate's Grotto—a few barrels could be seen in the entrance. Two figures, the red and blue 'stach statues, jutted out of the waters, seeming to gaze intently upon the cast. In front of them stood Miles and Blaise, and a few yards beyond the hosts, a series of backpacks that lay in a straight line between two ledges. They were divided into twelve groups, each with an envelope and black fanny pack on top.

Miles seemed to check on Pirate's Grotto to make sure nothing would jump out suddenly and attempt to wreak havoc on the racers. He then turned back toward the group and looked at Blaise, who nodded.

"In just a few minutes, you will all be embarking on a grand adventure around the world. The race is divided into several segments known as legs. In each leg, you will be faced with a set of tasks that you will be required to complete in order to reach a resting point at the end, known as the pit stop. Nine of these are elimination points that you will want to hurry to as fast as you can, because if you're last, you will be eliminated." Miles explained.

"At the start of each leg, you will receive a small bit of money that will have to cover all expenses except for airline tickets, which the race will pay for. You will want to save as much of this money as you can, as you can use it on subsequent legs, and you won't receive any until the beginning of each leg." Blaise said.

Miles continued, "In the end, the final leg will have only three teams battling it out to the finish line. The first team to cross it will win the grand prize…one MILLION Smash coins."

The group of twenty-four erupted in a large cheer, breaking the relative silence of Keelhaul Key.

"It looks like you're all ready." Blaise observed. "When we give you the signal, you can run over to the luggage you brought with you, where your money is stored in a team credit card inside of the fanny pack. You can open your clue and read what's inside…what you do after that is up to you."

The two Yoshis raised their hands up.

"The world is waiting for you…remember to travel safely and keep to what the restraints of your powers are…" Miles warned. "On your mark…"

Several teams crouched down.

"Get set…" Blaise stated.

"GO!"

Eleven of the teams rushed by the two Yoshi hosts in the direction of the twenty-four packs!

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Uh…what're they doing, cousin?)" asked a confused Smorgo.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Uncle, I think they're going for hot dogs…I'm starving for couch potatoes…)" Smorga replied.

"SMORGSMORG (Oh. Hi, hungry.)" Smorgo replied. The two Smorg stopped bouncing in place and stared at each other.

Because the line had been set in a slight curve, teams on the sides were able to gain a small lead. However, the more fleet-footed characters were able to pull ahead. Tripping over the ledge right in front of the packs was King, allowing several others to reach the line first.

"Awesome…" Screamy murmured, feeling the sheer excitement and wonder of opening an actual clue envelope. "Okay…travel through Keelhaul Key's Warp Pipe and make your way to the room of the Thousand-Year Door."

The Shadow Queen carelessly tossed away the paper around the clue. "Search for your next clue near the pedestal to the Pit of 100 Trials. …Tch."

"Warning: Do not attempt in any way to enter the pit." Waitress gasped.

"Be sure to obtain a pen from the nearby table." King K. stated.

"You have 310 Smash coins for this leg of the race." Hamma finished.

_Teams must use the blue Warp Pipe of Keelhaul Key to take themselves to Rogueport Sewers. From there, they will have to travel through a few rooms until they enter the right Warp Pipe, and use the spring to reach the hall of the Thousand-Year Door. Inside, next to the platform to the Pit of 100 Trials, teams will find their next clue._

"Goodness, the sewers! How revolting!" Toodles shuddered. "Urgh…"

"Come on baby, run faster!" Husband shouted back at his wife, several yards behind.

"Watch it!" Pungry yelled as he jumped out of the way of Hamma and Flare.

"I forgot just how heavy this thing is…" Chef Shimi groaned as he started to bounce along with the weight of the luggage on his back.

The lead teams started rushing across the wooden bridge in a sprint for the pipe. At the rocks, several teams jumped down, while others took the longer way of going down each level.

"I guess this is that pipe, yo?" King K. asked.

"Probably." Andy nodded. "In we go!"

Eventually, all of the teams had gone down the Warp Pipe. All except one.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I don't get it…what IS two plus two?)" inquired Smorga.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Do I know you?)" Smorgo interrogated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Yeah, ham tastes good! …Wanna be my daughter?)" Smorga asked excitedly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I'd just LOVE to be your Romeo!)" replied Smorgo.

The two Smorg bounced in the direction of Pirate's Grotto, but ended up hitting the statues instead. Twirling about dizzily, they eventually rolled past the two Yoshis to the only two "packs" left. The clue and fanny pack ended up getting stuck to them as they headed towards the bridge, but the "packs" (half-eaten Ultra Shrooms that looked like backpacks) remained on the ground.

"I really wonder if those two are even going to MAKE it to the pit stop…" Blaise remarked sarcastically. "You'll be waiting for days…"

"You never know, Blaise… I see a lot of potential in this batch. Smorgo and Smorga share quite a bit of it, as do everyone else." Miles responded.

"Tch. You're kidding, right?"

"Um…" Miles sweatdropped.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Thousand-Year Door)**

"It pays to be the fallen queen…I guess…"

Queen yawned, and floated past the pedestal, which emitted an eerily faint glow.

"Quit reminiscing! The others are on our tail!" Beldam ordered.

"Don't order me around, crook-nose! I OWN you!"

"You own nothing!" Beldam screamed. She pulled a clue envelope from the box and gave a light 'hmph' at the Shadow Queen when she swiped it away.

"What's this… Make your way to Rogueport Harbor and sign up for a charter ferry that will take you to an unknown destination. There is space for six teams on each ferry, and space is reserved on a first-come first-serve basis. Search for your next clue upon your arrival. Oh, great."

_Teams must now make their way up to Rogueport Harbor and find this sign-up desk. Using the pens provided at the Thousand-Year Door, they will need to sign up for one of two ferries that will transport them to an unknown area. Each ferry has space for only six teams, and they leave an hour apart. _

"We can't forget this." Beldam grabbed a pen from the stand next to the clue box.

"Well, what're you waiting for? We have to go!"

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Thousand-Year Door)**

"Oh, wow…it sure is dark down here, ain't it?" Wife exclaimed.

"Sure is creepy, too." Husband opened an envelope. "…Rogueport? Never heard of the darned place."

"First-come first-serve? We should hurry!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Thousand-Year Door)**

"Ferry? That sounds sorta fun…" Hamma mused.

"This pen looks like that stupid thing I found and threw at Bamma in the locker room the other day." Flare remarked.

"That's 'cause it was a pen, stupid." Hamma sneered.

"Shut up!" Flare gave Hamma a quick sock in the beak, which he didn't take quite lightly.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Rogueport Harbor)**

The team of elderly Toads came running up to the table.

"I have the pen…" Zess T. muttered. She carefully signed their names on a paper that had "9:00 A.M." at the top.

"My, we're the first to sign up!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "How unusual."

"Generally, you wouldn't expect old people to be the first at anything…and I am quite sure that Zess doesn't know the Sewers like the back of her hand, so what choice did I have except to be surprised that we were the first on the first ferry?" Toadsworth inquired. (After-Leg Interview)

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Rogueport Harbor)**

"WHAT! How'd THEY beat us here!"

The Shadow Queen stormed back and forth behind the table.

"It's all YOUR fault that we're SECOND!"

"Hey, don't look at me! At least we got here!" Beldam argued, signing up. "It's not like they can stop us, anyways…"

"So true…" Queen snickered.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Rogueport Harbor)**

"First ferry's still open, man!" King K. exclaimed. "Didn't think it'd still be that way after makin' a wrong turn into those Spinias!"

"Well, it is…and we're on it!" Andy gave a thumbs up after writing their names down. "I wonder who else'll get on…"

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Rogueport Harbor)**

"Here it is, To!" Too exclaimed, running up to the table.

"Awesome!"

The sisters stood there for a few seconds before realizing…

"We didn't get a pen at the door!" Too cried.

"What! I thought you…oh no!"

"To the door!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Excess Workers- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Rogueport Harbor)**

"Oh, there's the desk where we dine in! I-I mean, sign in!" Chef Shimi bounced over to the table.

Several seconds passed…

"Why're you looking at me like that?" Waitress asked.

"…Don't tell me you forgot to get a pen." Shimi sighed.

"I thought you got it!" Waitress gaped.

"…Oh, whatever…we better go back to the store and get one…door! I meant we go back to the door…"

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Rogueport Harbor)**

"Yay, there's still open spots on the ferry!" Toadia cheered. "We can get a good spot!"

"That's a relief…" Toodles signed the names in cursive. "I didn't think we'd ever get out of that foul underground…but now the air is filled with that unwelcome ocean smell…and everyone is so dirty!"

Toadia stared at a nearby Bob-omb sailor, covered in unmistakable ink and dirt, who was moving crates around.

"Eww…I think I have to agree."

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Rogueport Harbor)**

Shielding their eyes from the sun, the married couple ran up to the desk.

"Yes! Open spots!" Husband exclaimed.

"Wonderful! Give me the pen!" Wife ordered.

…

"DON'T TELL ME YOU FORGOT A PEN!" Wife screamed.

"Me? ME? You're the one that forgot, you…you…ARGH! Whatever! Now we have to go all the way back to the darned door and…OOH! This is why I hate women!"

Wife gave her husband an angry glare through her blonde bangs.

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Rogueport Harbor)**

"Awesome, there's still some spots on the 9:00 ferry!" Screamy stated excitedly.

"That's great. We're stuck with the woman who tried to take over the world…" Torque rolled his eyes as he watched Screamy sign up.

"She can't do anything that bad, though, right? The Shadow Queen was supposed to lose all of her power when she was defeated." Screamy murmured.

"If she tries to pull something, I'm suing."

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Rogueport Harbor)**

"First ferry has just one more spot left!" Pa-Patch remarked. "And it's all ours…"

"It would've been, amigo…it would've been." Cortez corrected.

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

"Back at the door, you forgot to grab a pen…it's not like I can with my cabeza as my body." Cortez reasoned.

"…Why me?" Pa-Patch shook his head. "Why didn't you say something? Oh my gosh…we're getting eliminated today…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Rogueport Harbor)**

"What the heck? Only one spot left? Gosh, we're lucky!" Hamma exclaimed.

Flare quickly scribbled down the brothers' names on the sign-up board.

"I wonder how we managed to beat six other teams here, then…that's sorta weird." Flare observed.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Rogueport Harbor)**

"Second ferry? Aw, man…I thought for sure we had the first one." Pungent sighed.

"We can take on the others on this ferry…I hope." Pungry reassured.

"Punis always got dat darned awful disadvantage of being shorter and smaller than everybody else! It ain't fair! We were aware that we'd have a hard time on the race, but just with that run to the desk…it's going to be a plumb long marathon." Pungry remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Lavi Ferry, 9:00 A.M.**

The six teams that signed up for the first ferry were aboard their ride: a large boat reminiscent of a mini cruise ship. It gave several blasts of the horn as it started to plow through the waters.

"Awesome, we're setting sail!"

Bandy Andy and King K. were sitting at a circular table on the top deck, playing cards with Hamma and Flare.

"You sure? I mean, she doesn't seem like it…" Bandy Andy responded.

"Positive, man. Listen…even if she don't have her powers, she's still a mega threat, especially here on the race." Flare replied.

"Totally sure, dawg? There simply ain't no reason to go buggin' about someone we don't need ta waste our energy on." King K. said.

"Trust me…we've gotta ally to bring their team down…and quick." Flare stated. "Right, bro?"

Flare caught Hamma taking a peak at his hand. He promptly punched him in the beak, resulting in an all-out squabble between the two brothers on the deck, and an exasperated sigh from King and Andy.

"To think I won't be seeing Rogueport again for a while…how exciting!"

Zess T. and Toadsworth were walking down towards their cabin after watching Rogueport disappear on the top deck.

"I wonder where this 'mystery location' is, don't you?" Toadsworth asked, opening the door to the room. "If the princess were here, she'd surely be able to figure it out hours before we arrived…"

"I've no idea where we're going either…but it's so exciting, isn't it?"

"Yes, quite… I could do with a spot of lunch…we haven't eaten yet, have we?"

"No, you're right! I'm starving! I wonder if I can join them in the kitchen…"

Meanwhile, Screamy and Torque had decided to take a walk through the decks.

"Seriously…this is great! I didn't know that ferry meant something like this…it's like traveling first class!" Screamy exclaimed.

"Yeah! And to think that I almost didn't want to go on the—"

Just then, Toadia came out of a room in the corridor that was labeled "Spa." Torque caught sight of the words on her shirt, "Luigi Fans Don't Lose!"

"Hi! I'm Toadia." Toadia eagerly extended her hand. "Oh, oops…sorry…I forgot…"

"Um…nice to meet you." Screamy replied. "Torque, aren't you going to at least say…uh…Torque?"

"Y-You're a L-Luigi f-fan?" Torque stuttered.

Toadia giggled. "Of course! Why not? He's like, just the coolest! I have all this fan gear in my pocket…" She pulled out an autographed picture of Luigi, a fan monogrammed with the "L," a Super Luigi book, and a Luigi mask…all out of her right blue jeans pouch. "So? What do you think?"

"…"

Silence…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! IT'S A NIGHTMARE ALL OVER AGAIN! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Torque took off back down the hallway backwards, knocking over the Shadow Queen in the process.

"HEY! WATCH IT, YOU INSOLENT BRAT!"

A confused and slightly hurt Toadia stared down the passage. Screamy backed away nervously.

"…No one…" Toadia whispered. "…NO ONE… …NO ONE INSULTS LUIGI LIKE THAT! GET BACK HERE, YOU INSOLENT BRAT!"

Toadia knocked over the Shadow Queen, who had just gotten up.

"HEY! WATCH IT, YOU INSOLENT BRAT!"

"…" Screamy twitched. "Um…am I missing something here with the 'insolent brat' stuff?"

"Ever since we broke away from Luigi when he was done in the Waffle Kingdom, both Torque and I have had our dislikes about him…you can't really blame us, though." Screamy reasoned. "Although he didn't exactly do much to me, he DID break Torque's kart…and I guess, well…that incident caused a more major influence on Torque than Luigi's experiences did on me." (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Luxo Ferry, 9:58 A.M.**

Waiting patiently for the ship to set sail on the second ferry were the five teams that had been forced to take places on the other sign-up sheet.

"This is ridiculous…how could anyone not know where to go? They've like, had since the take-off since 7:00 like everyone else." Waitress fiddled with her hair.

"At least we won't have to worry about elimination, right?" Shimi countered. "Anyways, they give me the peeps…er, I mean, the creeps…"

"I guess we can go on and relax, then, huh?" Pungent crawled over to a chair and sat down.

The Lavi Ferry's horn blew…

"Uh, don't look now…" To began.

"But here they come…" Too finished.

"…Muy bueno…" Cortez remarked sarcastically.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN LAST (Luxo Ferry)**

Smorgo and Smorga, covered in food particles, dirt, dust, mud, and any other garbage thinkable, came hopping aboard the ship just as it started to move.

"Ewww!"

Waitress scrambled to the far side of the rails to get away from the dirt-covered Smorg.

"Those things are disgusting! …EWW! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Ugh…" Husband gave a disgusted look as the captain shoved past him.

"Excuse me…things…but did you sign up for this ferry?" The captain asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ooh, a peace offering! Should we accept?)" Smorga asked his/her/its partner.

"SMORGSMORG (Yum…PUDDING!)" Smorgo jumped onto the clipboard. It disappeared, as if he/she/it had eaten it.

"D-DID THAT THING JUST EAT THE SIGN-UP SHEET!" Waitress shrieked. "THOSE THINGS ARE SO DISGUSTING!"

As the Toad ran downstairs screaming, an uneasy pair of Punis followed, with the sisters close behind. Soon, all that were left on the top deck were the Smorg and the captain, who was frozen to the spot by fear. That's what you WANT to think…

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Take me to your leader!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

-----

**Lavi Ferry, 9:57 P.M. **

After spending over a day aboard the ferry, the six teams on the first boat were more than ready to see their destination: a large metropolitan that glowed with lights in the nighttime sky.

"My…if I'm not mistaken, that's Mushroom City!" Toadsworth exclaimed.

"Mushroom City? Are you sure?" Zess T. asked.

"Positively…I've observed those nighttime lights so many times, it's unmistakable." Toadsworth confirmed, nodding his head.

"Suh-weet! The big city!" Hamma raised his fist.

"If only I had my powers…" Queen hissed.

The ferry pulled to a halt next to a dock in the bay, lit with lanterns and nearby neon lights. Seconds later, a staircase was pushed to the entrance, allowing the teams aboard to run off in the direction of a clue box placed in front of a wooden stake extremely close to the landing site.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Mushroom City, Southern Docks)**

King K. quickly pulled an envelope out of the clue box and ripped it open to reveal Route Info.

"Make your way to the Shroomtop Café in the middle of town." King K. read aloud.

"Search for your next clue outside the entrance." Toadia stated.

_Teams must now find transport 2 miles through the nighttime city to this place, the Shroomtop Café, a restaurant famous for serving Western cuisine with a view of the city 200 ft. high. Teams will find their next clue directly outside the entrance to this towering eatery._

"This means we have to find a cab now…great." Torque muttered.

"Taxi! Hey, taxi! Stop!" Screamy hopped up and down in an attempt to halt a taxi.

"Yes!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"First taxi away from the losers! Alright!" The Shadow Queen exclaimed.

"Yeah…but you didn't let me put the packs in the trunk." Beldam said.

"So? Why waste time when I can just…dump them on you? AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"…That burned…" Beldam muttered.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Man, they're fast…" Flare muttered to himself, staring through the windshield at the taxi ahead.

"You sure you know where you're going?" Hamma asked the driver impatiently.

"For the fifth time, yes! Geez!"

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Make sure you don't lose them, please." Screamy requested. "We need to beat them to the Café."

"Right…" The driver checked her make-up as she stopped at a yellow light. The taxi of the brothers had past by seconds before, en route to the next block.

"So much for that…" Torque groaned. "Oh well. At least we have a hot taxi driver."

"Why, thank you darling…"

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Our homies Hamma and Flare weren't kiddin' when they said she was sneaky!" King K. remarked.

"Well, it just goes to show what kind of rumor-spreaders they are…" Andy rolled his eyes. "I bet they spied to reach rank six in the Glitz Pit."

"Now what makes you think that…you didn't go snoopin' around them, yo?"

"U-Um, of course not…wh-what'd make you think that?"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"So this is where you come from? This. Is. Cool." Zess T. exaggerated.

"Old bean, I can assure you that the castle looks much better than these streets…"

"Really? Oh, hey! We're passing the girls that got in before us! Heheh, it's the pretty poshies!"

Zess T. laughed and waved as their taxi passed that of Toodles and Toadia.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Oh no! We got passed!" Toadia squealed. "Driver, hurry!"

"You won't be getting your money's worth if we don't beat those senior citizens to the café." Toodles warned.

The driver immediately started speeding, and passed not only Zess and Toadsworth, but also Andy and King.

"…I didn't know you weren't aware I was being sarcastic…" Toodles remarked. "Money must be used honestly…how dare you question my sincerity!"

Several cars honked as the teacher/student taxi swerved to the left, caused by Toodles slapping the greedy driver while he was steering.

-----

A first taxi pulled up in front of the front of the restaurant, a simple circular tower of a lobby, lodging, and elevators that led up to the real bistro at the very top. Waiting to the right of the front revolving doors was the clue box, positioned in the glowing blue light of the mushroom-shaped fountain before it.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Shroomtop Café, Parking Lot)**

The Hammer and Fire Brothers jumped out of the taxi and grabbed their backpacks from the trunk.

"Where's the clue box at?" Hamma asked worriedly. "Oh, wait! There it is!"

"I got it."

Flare took out an envelope and tore off the strip. Inside was a white card that had a red box at the top, labeled "Roadblock."

"Cool…our first Roadblock already. Who's ready to fly above the city?" Flare read aloud the hint.

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person can perform any more than eight on the entire race. In this Roadblock, that team member will be required to take part in a notorious Shroomtop Café activity: riding a zip line from the top of the building down below to its grassy courtyard of flowers, bushes, and trees, a total of 200 ft from the take-off to the landing. Once team members accomplish this awe striking movement, they'll receive their next clue._

"Choose before opening…" Flare finished. "Well…do you want to do it? 'Cause if you're chicken, I'll fly for you."

"I'm not chicken, but if you're so eager, fine. Go ahead." Hamma shrugged. Flare opened the card and read the thorough Roadblock details.

"Take an elevator to the top of the café and head out to the balcony. After being suited up, take a zip line ride 200 ft. down to the courtyard, where you'll receive your next clue. Sounds easy enough."

Hamma jumped out of the way when his brothers threw his pack off before heading inside.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Shroomtop Café, Parking Lot)**

Having saved the trouble of retrieving the packs by dumping them on her partner, the Shadow Queen was able to float over to the clue box while Beldam got untangled from the two backpacks.

"Roadblock. Who's ready to fly above the city? …Beldam?"

"What? Why me?" Beldam whined, dropping down the packs. Hamma looked up from the table he was sitting at.

"Because. I've seen enough flying and junk for one millennia."

"Sure, but you were trapped for 1,000 years without any fun…wouldn't this be a great chance?" Beldam said slyly.

"…Oh, fine. You got me. But if I get some funny comment on how I went down, you're DEAD! Understood?"

"Yeah, right…" Beldam nodded sarcastically, prompting the Shadow Queen to storm inside the revolving doors. "Just what are you looking at?"

Hamma started whistling and twiddling his thumbs.

**Flare (Shroomtop Café, Top Balcony)**

Waiting impatiently for the Toad to suit him up, Flare gave an exasperated sigh as he gazed at the nighttime view offered to him by the towering heights of the eatery.

"Am I ready yet?"

"Just about…there!" The Toad grinned. "Okay. All that you need to do is attach the hook on the pulley to your harness and you're all set to jump."

"Like this?" Flare clipped a hook on the pulley to another on his harness, making a distinct clicking sound as he did so.

"Right…you're free to go down; just be sure to hold on tight."

"…Whatever." Flare gripped onto the handles of the pulley and stepped out from an open spot on the balcony's railing.

The wind rushed by as the Fire Brother zipped down the tense cable at a fast speed.

"WHOA, CRAAAAAAAAAP!"

As quickly as it had started, the ride was ceased by contact with a soft, bouncy mat sitting on the courtyard. The Toad waiting there quickly unclipped the harness and got it off of Flare before handing him a clue envelope.

"Thanks!" Flare swiped the clue and ran in the direction of a race flag, which directed him to the front of the restaurant.

"It's about time!" Hamma stood up from the table and picked up the packs, while his brother opened the envelope.

"Oh, shut up!" Flare took out a white card. "Route Info. Make your way to the POW Block Hotel and locate the front lobby. Inside are twelve departure times. Pick one for the time you will be released tomorrow."

_Teams must now find transport 4 miles to this place, the POW Block Hotel. This cube-shaped hotel is known not only for its unique POW Block-design, but also for its unique structure, which has been proven to allow it to withstand magnitude 10 earthquakes. Waiting in the lobby is a board with twelve departure times on it, in groups of four each: 8:30, 8:45, and 9:00. Teams will need to claim one of these times for their release the following morning._

"Awesome. Now we just need to catch a taxi!" Flare remarked, pocketing the clue. He strode over to the side of the road and blew a fireball, causing several cars to swerve; one was an empty taxi.

"I could've done something like that with my hammer." Hamma rolled his eyes.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"Roadblock. Who is ready to fly above the city?" Toodles read. "Well, I don't know."

"I am!" Toadia chirped eagerly. "Can I do it? Please?"

"Go ahead…with a clue like that, I am not so sure I'd like to." Toodles handed the card to Toadia, who opened it.

"…Zip line! Alright! Be right back!" Toadia exclaimed.

-----

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Thanks!" Torque called out as the taxi left.

"Uh…Torque? I don't think this is the Shroomtop Café…it doesn't look right…" Screamy trailed off. "That taxi driver dropped us off in front of the wrong place."

"So what? We can just ask for directions and…" Torque turned around to look at the building that they were in front of. "AIYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!"

The edifice, The MC Luigi Fan-Club, glowed with green neon, various versions of the letter L, and most shocking to the team, a large portrait of the esteemed Luigi himself.

"Horrible things…so…terrible…" Torque fainted, collapsing on the sidewalk.

"…" Screamy cursed under his breath. "TAXI! DANGIT, STOP!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"Pick one for the time you will be released tomorrow." Queen finished. "Alright…go get us a taxi."

"What? You do it!" Beldam commanded.

"NO ONE COMMANDS ME! Now…GET US A TAXI!"

Toodles, who had been watching from a table, turned her head as another taxi approached.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Shroomtop Café, Parking Lot)**

"Thanks, man!" King K. quickly paid the driver with coins before getting out and following Andy.

"Roadblock. Who's ready to fly above the city?" Bandy Andy read. "You wanna do this?"

"It's fine with me, dawg…only if you don't want it." King shrugged.

"Eight Roadblocks each…I think you should. I'll sit it out." Andy confirmed.

"Cool! That's fine with me!" King K. jogged over to the front doors.

"Suckers! We'll be taking this taxi!"

The Shadow Queen cackled as she floated in, leaving Beldam to put the packs into the trunk.

"It's not like we're using it…doesn't matter." Andy shrugged.

**Toadia (Shroomtop Café, Back Courtyard)**

"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Toadia held still as the Toad took the harness off of her. He then handed her the clue.

"Thank you, sir!" Toadia quickly bowed before taking off in a dash towards the front lawn.

"You have the envelope?" Toodles asked expectantly.

"Yeah, I have it!" Toadia opened the clue. "…We need to go to the POW Block Hotel and get an early departure time for the morning."

"Oh, a hotel? Wonderful…we have the chance to get decent beauty rest, then." Toodles murmured. The two female Toads picked up their bags and headed off across the street in search of a taxi.

"…Departure times?" Andy mused. "…Oh, great…King K., come on buddy…don't let me down…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"Roadblock. Who's ready to fly above the city?" Toadsworth read. "Oh my…"

"I think I will." Zess raised her hand. "You know this place all too well…let me have a chance to look at it from above."

Toadsworth handed the Roadblock card to his partner. She opened and read it.

"…Shouldn't be too hard."

As Zess T. pushed through the doors, King K. came shell-spinning from the courtyard.

"Yo, I got the clue!" King K. popped out of his shell and presented Andy with the envelope.

"…Okay…great! We should still be able to get the first departure time." Andy showed King K. the Route Info.

"Sweet! Let's get a taxi to that hotel, then!" King K. ran towards the road, his left arm in the air to flag down a taxi.

"Departure times?" Toadsworth repeated to himself. "Please hurry, Zess darling…"

-----

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Okay…we're back on track." Screamy sighed. "Geez…leave it to a woman to take a head-over-heels Spiny to the wrong place."

"Tell me about it!" Torque rolled his eyes. "Man, do you know how freaked out that Luigi Fan-Club place made me?"

"…" Screamy gawked.

"What?" Torque asked. He followed Screamy's gaze to…a picture of Luigi hanging off of the mirror of the taxi. "GAAAK!"

"Oh, I just love Luigi! He's so cute!" The Toad taxi driver squealed, causing her black pigtails to bounce off of her hat.

"…Oh gosh…" Torque fainted.

"…I hate Mushroom City…" Screamy sobbed.

-----

**Zess (Shroomtop Café, Back Courtyard)**

"That was actually sort of fun." Zess T. chortled, accepting the envelope from the Toad. She walked back to the front of the restaurant, where Toadsworth was waiting.

"You did it? Good show!" Toadsworth clapped.

"Indeed!" Zess opened the clue. "Okay…make your way to the POW Block Hotel…departures? Oh, I hope we can get the earliest one!"

"We shall. But we have to hurry if we want it!" Toadsworth pointed towards a taxi he'd already flagged.

"Awesome!" Zess exclaimed.

-----

A taxi rapidly approached the POW Block Hotel, an inn shaped with a rectangular prism structure that seemed like a cube and painted with the colors and stripes of a POW Block. It had windowpanes shaped like stars, but the majority were covered with cloths that matched the color of the surrounding paint.

The taxi screeched to a stop in the arc driveway in front of the hotel doors, and the team inside jumped out…

"Hurry up, hammerbrains!"

"Move your fat flamehead first!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (POW Block Hotel, Driveway Arc)**

Pushing and shoving, the brothers clambered out of the taxi, got their luggage, and headed inside the hotel lobby. Off to the left side was a board colored like a race flag. There were three sets of four times on it; each glowed with a green light.

"I guess these are the times…" Flare muttered, pulling one of the magnetic slates off of the strange board. "8:30."

"So…maybe we should get a room and go to sleep now." Hamma suggested.

"Heck, yeah…I'm bushed." Flare responded.

"We both realize that we argue a lot. It's just something we do as brothers, and so far it hasn't really hindered us…we can't help it, you know? It's…weird…" Hamma snickered. (After-Leg Interview)

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

"Second 8:30 departure time…" Beldam murmured, pulling one of the slates off of the board.

"SECOND! Who beat us here!" Queen demanded.

"I think it was those brothers…" Beldam replied.

"WHAT! If we're second again…URGH!"

The Shadow Queen literally started pulling her hair out before realizing what she was doing and completely freaking out at the locks on the carpet.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Mushroom City, Streets)**

The taxi of the Poshley Heights Toads slowed down to a stop at a stoplight. Almost instantly, the cab driver was on a street map of the city.

"Excuse me sir, but are we lost or something?" Toadia asked worriedly.

"By the looks of your actions, you don't know where you're taking us." Toodles observed.

"Just sit tight, ladies…" The driver mumbled, dragging his finger along several paths. "I know where I'm going…I'm just…double checking."

"…If Luigi was the taxi driver, we wouldn't be lost…" Toadia pouted, slumping down in her seat. Toodles sighed, shook her head, and stared out the window.

"As women living in Poshley Heights, I know that at least I expect nothing but the best from other people…their 100 percent. On the race, Toadia and I promised to each other to give just that the entire time, but we can't say the same that other people will live up to our expectations in our short time of seeing them." Toodles explained. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

Walking up to the magnetic board, King K. pulled off an 8:30 departure slate.

"Cool! First time, first departure tomorrow morning, man!"

"That's good." Andy murmured, thumbing through his mini travel guide. "I heard some strange rumors about this hotel…"

"What? It haunted or somethin'?" King K. asked, puzzled.

"No, nothing like that…" Andy scanned the lobby wall as if looking for something. "There's supposedly a hidden POW Block hidden here that causes earthquakes to torture the guests, even though the building won't collapse… And in the room 103 mirror…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

"The last 8:30…phew!" Zess T. smiled. "I didn't think we were in the leading four."

"Neither did I, old bean…" Toadsworth mused. "Oh well. We should check in for the long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Right!" Zess walked up to the receptionist counter. "Excuse me, but I'm here for kitchen duty."

"…Oh, dear…heheh…" Toadsworth chuckled to himself.

-----

**Luxo Ferry, 10:55 P.M.**

The second boat carrying the teams slowly plowed through the waters to the docks. Eagerly waiting on the top deck were the twelve teams.

"They're pushing the staircase!" Pungent exclaimed. Right when the tip of the stairs was within reach of the lead team, the Punis, they took off along the rail to the clue box.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Look at that blue and green vacuum!)" Smorga exclaimed, looking at the clue box.

"SMORGSMORG (Let's go touch it!)" Smorgo suggested. The two Smorg began bouncing.

"OW!"

Waitress shrieked as she tripped over the Smorg, and landed on the hard wooden pier.

"Oh, gosh! Are you okay? That didn't blurt, did it? Erm, hurt?" Shimi quickly helped his partner to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Waitress glared at the Smorg.

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Mushroom City, Southern Docks)**

Too quickly brushed her green hair out of her eyes before reading the clue.

"Make your way to the Shroomtop Café in the middle of town, and search for your next clue outside the front doors."

"Oh, wow! I wonder what we're doing there…" To said slyly. "Taxi! Yoo-hoo, taxi!"

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Muy bueno, we're first out of the ferry!" Cortez exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I bet the others are so far ahead of us by now…" Pa-Patch sighed.

"Don't be so pessimistic, amigo…it only brings more harm." Cortez reminded.

"…Don't look now, but there's another team right there…" Pa-Patch groaned.

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"YES! THAT'S THE WAY!" Husband shouted.

"Just get us there at this speed, and we'll pay you extra!" Wife encouraged.

"YEAH, GET—wait, what!" Husband shook his head. "Extra?"

"Why not?"

"We need to conserve, that's why not!"

"Well, sorry! It seemed like a good idea!"

"Oh, please! You can't even think up a simple brainstorm thought!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Mushroom City, Streets)**

Having bounced on top of a random bus, the Smorg sat on top, confused, as the vehicle drove through the streets of Mushroom City. It became apparent that the clue envelope was stuck on Smorgo.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I'M MELTIIIIINGGGG!)" Smorga screeched dramatically.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Look, a pizza!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

The Smorg were ALMOST knocked off of the tall bus as it went under a low bridge.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 10th (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Alrighty now! We're en route to the Shroomtop Café!" Pungent whooped.

"I wonder if we're going to eat anything, then." Pungry mused. "What do you think."

"I ain't eatin' nothin'!" Pungent shook his head. "I'm fine with Tree cuisine; don't need no city grub for a cultural experience!"

"I like tryin' new things, of course. But yet, there's nothing better to me than food in the Great Tree. My fear on the race is that…" Pungent took a moment to chuckle, "I'll be havin' too many favorites to dine on my ol' recipes when I get back!"

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 11th (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"I wonder where the other teams are…" To murmured, playing with her pink locks.

"I don't know…but it sure is sort of cold here, isn't it?" Too remarked, zipping up her blue jacket.

"Yeah…" To nodded. "Hey, look up there! I think that there might be a team in that taxi, I can see the blue bulb!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN LAST (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"I hate those…THINGS…so much! They even got a ride before us!" Waitress pouted. "Now we're in last, too…"

Chef Shimi stared sadly out the window.

"Yes, so true…things aren't cooking very good for us…"

"You mean 'looking,' right?" Waitress asked, looking at her partner.

"Oh, yeah…right." Shimi grinned.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

"Oh, dear…" Toodles sighed as she pulled the first 8:45 slate off of the board. "The second time pushes us closer to the other set of teams…"

"We can catch up, right?" Toadia inquired. "It's only fifteen minutes before and after…they don't have too much time."

"Of course."

-----

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"Make your way to the POW Block Hotel and locate the front lobby. Inside are twelve departure times…pick one for the time you will be released tomorrow." Screamy read. "We better get a good taxi driver to get us there without any more trouble…"

"Seriously, yeah. That jump freaked me out…now I need some sleep." Torque muttered.

"By the way, Torque…that was quite a scream you let out." Screamy added, causing his partner to sweatdrop.

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"Roadblock. Who's ready to fly above the city?" Wife read. "How the heck should I know?"

"Do you want to fly above this glowin' town or not, sugar?" Husband asked.

"Don't rush me!" Wife shouted defensively. "I don't know who should do it. Why don't you?"

"That's all you needed to say, honey…" Husband raised his hands up and adjusted his glasses before heading towards the doors, opening the card and reading the contents.

"I tend to be an indecisive person." Wife admitted. "I realize that. But my husband needs to learn to accept that and be able to work with it…it's a trait that won't change just because he wants it to." (After-Leg Interview)

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"Who is ready to fly above the city?" Cortez read. "I fly all the time, amigo…I think it's your turn to experience it."

"Fine…" Pa-Patch opened the card. "…What the crap? A zip line? …There better be a harness…cause I can't hold on like this."

"There should be…" Pa-Patch said.

"Sure, I'm afraid of ghosts…even Cortez still spooks me a little. But I hate heights even more…oh, yeah…you can't get me in a high up place without some kind of difficulty." Pa-Patch shook his head. (After-Leg Interview)

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"It's a Roadblock." Pungry explained, "Who is ready to fly above the city?"

"Whoa now…did you just say fly?" Pungent made a face. "I ain't prepared to fly unless it's on a plane!"

"Oh…um, okay. I guess I get to do it then." Pungry opened the card. "…Ride down a zip line 200 feet? That's not too shabby for the first Roadblock of the race…"

**Husband (Shroomtop Café, Back Courtyard)**

"I'm going to read those hints more carefully…" Husband muttered in a raspy breath as he accepted the clue from the Toad.

"Come on, dear!" Wife shouted. She grinned as her husband came running up to the front area with the envelope.

"YOU'RE doing the next Roadblock." Husband pointed.

"Fine, fine! Just read that thing before we don't get a chance to have a next Roadblock!"

"…We need to get a taxi to take us to the POW Block Hotel so we can get an early morning departure time!" Husband paraphrased.

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 10th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"I'm ready to fly!" To giggled, taking off her jacket. "Could you hold this, please?"

"Sure!" Too grabbed her sister's jacket and sat down at a table.

-----

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends (POW Block Hotel, Driveway Arc)**

"Thank you very much…"

Screamy sighed exasperatedly as the taxi drove away. He followed Torque through the doors of the hotel into the lobby.

"Cool, there's the board!" Torque exclaimed, rambling towards the wall. He jerked an 8:45 slate from the board.

"8:45…and there's still two other teams leaving with us from the second ferry? I hate the taxis here…" Screamy murmured to himself.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 11th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"Who's ready to fly?" Shimi voiced. "That seems quite odd…do you want to do it?"

"…" Waitress stared at the card. "Not really…I'll let off steam over there…the Smorg aren't here yet."

As his partner went to sit down at a table with Too, Chef Shimi bit his lip and opened the card.

"…A rip-er, zip line? I guess my fins look like wings and I could look like a flying fish!" Shimi joked to himself.

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Shroomtop Café, Parking Lot)**

"Taxi!" Pa-Patch yelled into the street. He exploded once, causing a taxi to stop.

"I didn't know that drivers stopped for explosions!" Cortez noted.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"POW Block Hotel and get a departure time…" Pungry read.

"Well, that's no good! We're departin' last if we don't get a move on!" Pungent shook his bulb towards a taxi he'd hailed.

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 10th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

"That was fun!" To breathed. "I'd do it again if I could, but I can't."

"Yeah…we need to beat the others to try and get a shot at an early departure time…" Too mumbled sadly.

"…Oh." To turned toward the street. "Taxi! Taxi!"

"There's one!" Too pointed at an empty taxi across the street.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 11th (Shroomtop Café, Front Lawn)**

Waitress stood up.

"So…was it fun?"

"Indeed!" Shimi exclaimed. "The wind rushing by my case…what a great feeling!"

"…Um…yeah." Waitress sighed, taking the envelope and opening it to reveal the Route Info. "…We need to hurry to the POW Block Hotel. There's still a chance we can beat some of the other teams there!"

-----

**Team ? (POW Block Hotel, Driveway Arc)**

A taxi carrying a team pulled up to the hotel. The passenger doors on both sides flew open and the two jumped out and grabbed their bags from the trunk. As they ran inside, two more taxis pulled into the area, and two other teams flew out with their bags.

"8:45 departure…whew!"

A relieved Pa-Patch grinned at his partner, who returned with a toothy smile of his own.

"We might want to move out of the way, amigo…" Cortez warned. The pirates moved aside as the hotel doors flew open, and two teams rushed in.

"Just knock it off and claim it!"

"Right!"

Leaping into the air, Pungry knocked the last 8:45 time off of the board and landed on it, claiming it for his team.

"Dang…that means we get the 9:00." Husband sighed, taking off his cap as he pulled the first 9:00 slate from the board.

"That's just great." Wife groaned.

"Great job, Pungry…that leap was dang right awesome." Pungent whispered to his partner, who snickered.

**To & Too: Sisters (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

"9:00…oh well." Too smiled unsurely. "We can get up there tomorrow."

"Right! That's the spirit!" To exclaimed.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

"So much for beating the other teams to the hotel…we're second-to-last!" Waitress pouted.

"I bet the Smorg haven't even thrived at the café for the Roadblock yet…" Shimi chuckled.

"…Don't you mean that they haven't arrived at the café? If they're thriving there, then I'm not even going to finish the leg here…I'm going to split for Rogueport and get back on the train." Waitress shook her head.

"We had a really rough time tonight…it's just natural that I was frustrated. Tomorrow, we'll be sure to turn over a new leaf and get ahead!" Waitress exclaimed. (During-Leg Interview)

-----

**Shroomtop Café, 3:17 A.M.**

Bouncing along the sidewalk, the Smorg, the trailing team, finally unknowingly reached their destination.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I like riding horses at the races!)" Smorgo exclaimed about the rides atop other vehicles.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ooh…what's that thingamajig doing in the mirror? I wanna go touch it!)" Smorga lunged at the clue box, knocking it over, and releasing the last envelope inside.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Oh yeah? I bet that giant hot dog has more mustard in its head than you!)" Smorgo laughed, running over the envelope before heading inside the café.

Seconds later, several screams were heard emitting from nighttime partygoers as a group of guests ran out the doors.

**Smorgo (Shroomtop Café, Top Balcony)**

Unsurprisingly, the Smorg didn't bother to wait for a harness, and instead slid down the zip line him/her/itself, leaving a trail of grime and debris on it, weighing it down considerably.

"SMORGSMORG (Gimme my money!)" Smorgo demanded at the drowsy Toad, who threw the envelope at him/her/it before running inside the café, screaming.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How'd you get the bazooka to rise into the air like that?)" Smorga asked, pointing at the toppled clue box.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Hospital time!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

-----

**POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby, 8:30 A.M.**

Sitting on top of the receptionist's counter were four clue envelopes, which were picked up by the four departing teams.

**Hamma & Flare/ Beldam & Queen/ Andy & King/ Zess & Toadsworth- CURRENTLY IN 1st (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

Although they all opened their envelopes nearly at the same time, Bandy Andy was the first to start reading.

"Cool…Detour right off the bat! Races or Faces."

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams will have a choice between two pleasures of metropolitan Mushroom City, Races or Faces. In Races, teams will need to travel 7 miles to the edge of town to one of the few circuits located out of Circuit City, the Figure-8 Circuit. Once there, teams will need to choose an accommodating two-person kart, a new style developed from the original one-seater. To clear the course, teams will need to partake in three specialized missions featured on the circuit: driving through 5 numbered gates in 35 seconds, collecting 10 coins in 30 seconds, and rounding the left side of the track 3 times under 2 minutes. If team members can cooperate effectively to utilize the two-person kart, where duties are balanced evenly on both seats, they can finish quickly. In Faces, teams will take part in the more theatrical aspects of the city and travel 10 miles to Wrier's Hall, a stage that has featured 836 different plays. Inside of the hall, teams will need to choose one of these comedy masks. On the back of each one is a different sentence about theater and drama that will lead to a clue about another area in the large auditorium. Teams will need to locate a person wearing the same mask as the one they chose, who will hand them a tragedy mask that will lead them to another person with a matching mask and a clue envelope. Although teams are free to take their time in deciphering the clues of where to go, if they aren't very knowledgeable about navigating large buildings, the task could take a long time._

"…Dude! We seriously get to ride a kart?" King K. gasped. "We gotta go for a day at the races, man!"

"Races it is!" Andy agreed.

"Compared to other places, Glitzville has a lot of things that they don't. But, there's the opportunity to drive that's missing. It's mandatory to know how…that's why we were eager to go for the karts, since it was something new." Andy recalled. (After-Leg Interview)

"Drama? Gross…" Hamma muttered. "We're doin' Races!"

"I'll agree to that!" Flare nodded.

"I know nothing of modern-day theater!" Queen sniffed. "Races is the only viable option."

"Whatever…" Beldam sighed.

"I feel like Faces is a better choice…what do you think?" Toadsworth asked.

"I do, too. Let's do it!" Zess T. agreed.

Rushing out the front doors, Andy and King were quick to flag down a taxi. Close behind were the Toads, followed by the shadow folk, and then the brothers, who had to cross the street to grab an open cab.

**Toodles & Toadia/ Screamy & Torque/ Pa-Patch & Cortez/ Pungry & Pungent- CURRENTLY IN 5th (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

"Detour. Races or Faces." Screamy read, quickly looking at the details of the two options. "We should go to the theater…it sounds easier."

"…What? No way!" Torque responded aggressively. "I'm a kart expert! We should do Races and we'll be done in no time!"

"If you say so…" Screamy sighed.

"I don't think I want to race more than I have to." Pungry laughed uneasily.

"I'm right with ya there, Pungry. Theater time!" Pungent exclaimed.

"What do you want to do?" Cortez asked his partner.

"I don't know…I think we could do Races, but then again…we might be better at Faces. Hm…" Pa-Patch reasoned, weighing the pros and cons he could think of.

"In my opinion, we should go for Faces…I'm a large theater fan as it is, so we should have an advantage." Toodles stated.

"Oh, okay!" Toadia giggled. "As long as I get to wear one of the masks!"

"You're a big floating head…we should do Faces, I guess." Pa-Patch remarked, causing Cortez to sweatdrop.

-----

Several cars drove by the road that passed in front of the Figure-8 Circuit, a stadium that had the basic outline of the enlarged racetrack, a nicely curved eight. A taxi pulled up to the front of it and halted to a stop, seconds before two others ceased.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Figure-8 Circuit, Entrance)**

"Thanks, man! See ya 'round sometime!" King called out to the driver before throwing on his pack.

"Come on, King K.! The others are on our tail!" Andy warned.

Jumping out of their respective taxis, Hamma and Flare and Beldam and Queen were quick to engage in pursuit after the duo as they passed through the overpass that led into the racers' area.

"Move faster, Beldam! They're gonna get there first!" Queen angrily growled.

"Well, why don't we just go around the seats?" Beldam argued.

"Fine…but I better not hit my head!" Queen crossed her arms. With that, the two shadow folk disappeared into the morning shadows.

"Dude, if that ain't cheatin', I dunno what is!" Flare stated to his bro.

"Tch. You've got that right." Hamma agreed.

As the two Glitz Pit teams rounded the corner towards the gate that led onto the racetrack where the twelve karts were, they noticed two shadows moving swiftly across the ground. The shadows moved under the fence and rearranged into the forms of Beldam and the Shadow Queen near the race karts.

"What's the first thing we have to do again?" Beldam asked.

"Drive through 5 of those numbered tires within 35 seconds or something." Queen shouted. "…Where are the timekeepers? I don't want to have to wait!"

"There's a timer here on the kart…" Beldam observed. "Wait, why are you steering? Why do I have the gas?"

"Because. I should steer the fate and destiny of the world." Queen simply stated, causing a sigh from her partner.

Not wasting time discussing how the task worked, the brothers and friends were quick to take off in their karts shortly after getting in.

-----

**Husband & Wife/ To & Too/ Shimi & Waitress- CURRENTLY IN 9th (POW Block Hotel, Front Lobby)**

"Detour. Races or Faces." Too read. "Ooh, a kart? That's cool!"

"Let's do that, then!" To agreed. The two slipped on their sunglasses and headed outside.

"I don't know what we should do…" Wife murmured. "I think we should do Faces, though…"

"…Oh, fine. It's not like you can drive, anyway…" Husband rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me!"

"I've never driven myself anywhere in a kart before…maybe we should just do Faces." Waitress muttered.

"Nah…let's get a new experience and perform Races! Come on, it'll be fun!" Shimi grinned.

As soon as the other two teams ran outside, a shriek was heard. Seconds later, Smorgo and Smorga came bouncing into the hotel.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (MUFFINS!)" Smorga screeched, jumping onto the envelope.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (They took some of our omelette!)" Smorgo yelled, gesturing at the other teams.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Cave? Where?)" Smorga looked around. The two Smorg bounced after the other three teams, and bounced on a passing taxi.

-----

A taxi pulled up to Wrier's Hall, a fantastic dome-shaped building that had stained glass depicting famous theatrical classics on the front doors, and curved mirrors reflecting the sun's rays in magnificent hues sitting on the top of the roof in the shape of a scroll, feather, and ink bottle, along with the two symbols of drama: the comedy and tragedy masks.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Wrier's Hall, Entrance)**

"Thank you, sir." Zess T. quickly paid the cab driver before running up the shallow steps to catch up with her partner.

Past the propped glass doors was a table that was sitting in the front hall that extended in a circle around the whole building. Sitting on the table were twelve comedy masks, each with a colorful, dramatic design. Toadsworth picked up a mask that was vividly colored with splashes of orange.

"'Wrier's Hall has featured over 150 opera shows, over 100 ballets, about 50 mummers' plays, and around 25 pantomimes. In the museum section, locate a statistics chart and search around it for the person wearing your matching mask.'" Toadsworth stated, reading the sentence scribbled inside of the mask.

"Pick up one of those maps…we can use it to locate the walkthrough museum." Zess pointed. Toadsworth picked one up and handed it to her. "…According to this, the museum section is close to the souvenir area…it's on the main floor…down this hall."

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Figure-8 Circuit, Task 1)**

Struggling along with merely steering, the kart of the shadow folk swerved to and fro before finally going through the fifth gate.

"Finally…did we get it?" Beldam asked for the third time. The watch read 0:34:99.

"YES!" Queen exclaimed. "I knew my expertise would get us through!"

Beldam sighed.

"Use that expertise two more times and we'll be good."

"I know that the Shadow Queen would never forgive me if she heard me say this, but she's pathetic! Over exaggerating her own abilities when she doesn't even have any, and I get a bunch of back talk. I hate my life." Beldam grumbled. (After-Leg Interview)

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Figure-8 Circuit, Task 2)**

"Dang!" Flare slammed his fist down on the dashboard, particularly aiming for the watch that read 0:34:86. "If you had seen that coin behind us earlier, we would've cleared the time!"

"What? Hey, you're the one that has the power to go backwards with those brakes! You shouldn't be talking!" Hamma shouted.

Sighing, the Goomba running the coin-collecting task reset the coins and signaled for the next team to start.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Figure-8 Circuit, Task 2)**

Although they added a few seconds to their time by not spotting the first coin behind them, Bandy Andy and King K. managed to clear the time on their first try with a time of 0:29:14.

"Awesome, now we can try going around the whole race track! This'll be cool!" Andy exclaimed, pushing the gas pedal forward.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Wrier's Hall, Walkthrough Museum)**

After squandering a few minutes searching for the right person, the team finally located a Toad wearing an identical comedy mask to the one they had. He was standing in front of a statistics chart, and had had his back turned when the team passed by several times before. Silently, he accepted the mask and handed over a tragedy mask.

"Thank you." Zess T. flipped the violet mask over and read the back. "'Improvisational drama has no set script, as does the turnout of the race. Locate the area in the hall where this type of play would take place and find the Toad with the matching mask.' That's the stage, isn't it?"

"I would believe so." Toadsworth nodded.

-----

A taxi pulled up to the front of the Mushroom City Luigi Fan-Club.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Mushroom City Streets)**

"Hold on a sec…I need to look at this map for just a minute…never been to Wrier's before." The taxi driver apologized.

"Oh, great…" Pungry sighed. "I knew that when the other teams turned at the stoplight, we should've too…"

"Don't go and worry about nothin'…I see another taxi comin', and it's got an unhappy team inside." Pungent remarked, looking out the back window.

Another taxi pulled up to that of the Punis'.

"Hey…do you know how to get to the Figure 8-Circuit?" Came a highly feminine voice.

"…Yeah, I do." The driver replied. "You can follow me if ya want, but first I have to drop off these fellows."

"Luigi…not again…" Torque fainted.

"No, ma'am! We can't wait!" Screamy interrupted.

"Sorry, kid…but I don't know where the racetrack is. You'll just have to wait…sorry. Don't worry about paying me extra…the rides on me."

Screamy glared out the window and shook his head dejectedly.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Figure-8 Circuit, Task 3)**

"That's what I'm talking about, yo!" King K. exclaimed as a clue envelope was produced from a slot in the kart.

"Awesome…let's see where we're going." Andy opened the card. "Make your way to the next pit stop, at Shell Circle Park. You can only travel through the use of Wiggler bus from your current destination to the bus stop you choose nearest the park."

_Route Info: Teams must now make their way to the next pit stop, at Shell Circle Park, approximately 4 miles from both Detour options. Instead of traveling by taxi, teams must board one of these long, green buses, known as Wiggler buses. These unique vehicles weave around the streets much in the same manner as their bug counterparts, and use a DNA-based system to calculate how much fare riders have to pay after getting off. Once taking the Wiggler bus close to Shell Circle Park, teams will have to get out from their stop and run to the pit stop, here in front of the majestic Tri-Shell Fountain. The last team to check in…WILL be eliminated._

"Warning: The last team to check in will be eliminated." Andy concluded, slightly alarmed by the last part of the message. "Whoa…that's not good."

"Man, we better find the bus stop and fast!" King K. agreed.

-----

**Pa-Patch & Cortez/ Toodles & Toadia (Wrier's Hall, Entrance Hallway)**

Pa-Patch quickly grabbed a bright yellow comedy mask, with Toadia obtaining a pink one and putting it on her face.

"'Drama is heavily used as a teaching tool, especially influential in urban cities where movies and videos are taken to the stage for a more live effect.'" Pa-Patch read. "'Locate the security room and find the matching mask while seeing the whole hall from a live view.'"

Toodles pulled the pink mask from Toadia and read the fact on the back.

"'The word "drama" is believed to be derived from an unnamed foreign language, untraceable by Mushroom world history.' …Quite interesting…" Toodles mentioned. "'Locate the walkthrough museum and find a loop video about the word itself, which is being watched by a person with your mask.'"

The two teams raced off in opposite directions.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Wrier's Hall, Stage)**

After reaching the stage, the two Toads had minimal difficulty in locating the Toad wearing the same tragedy mask as the one they had. Handing it over, Toadsworth in turn received the clue envelope.

"My word…make your way to the next pit stop at Shell Circle Park. You can only travel through the use of Wiggler bus from your current destination…and the last team to check in will be eliminated!"

"That won't be us!" Zess T. exclaimed. "Come on, Toadsworth! We've got this!"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Mushroom City, Streets)**

"Remember, we have to find a bus to get us there!" Hamma reminded.

"I know that, you knucklehead!" Flare growled, punching his brother over the head while running.

Hamma responded by socking Flare in the jaw.

"Geez, calm down, lit dynamite! Hey, there's a sign with a Wiggler on it over there at the corner! That's gotta be the bus stop!"

Andy and King turned around to see the brothers running towards them as a Wiggler bus rounded the corner.

"Great…we get out minutes before them, and now they've caught up." Andy bit his lip. "That's not cool."

"It'll be one heck of a run, man! Don't be trippin' with negativity…" King K. offered.

"Heh, right…" Bandy Andy chuckled.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress/ To & Too (Figure-8 Circuit, Driver's Block)**

Having arrived first, the Excess Express workers took off for the first task.

"Okay…just steer us through and we'll be understood…" Shimi reminded, placing his fin on the gas pedal.

"…Right…" Waitress nervously navigated towards the first gate, but ended up hitting the side before going through.

"We can get through this, right?" Too asked. "I mean, it was your idea…and they're having trouble with it."

"They just might not have the natural aptitude for it. I think we do!" To giggled. "Hey, let's switch out every task so I can get a chance to gas and you can drive!"

"Sure!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Figure-8 Circuit, Task 3)**

"It's about time!" Queen snatched the envelope out of the slot and opened it quickly. "…Make your way to the next pit stop…by bus? With a bunch of commoners? HOW HUMILIATING!"

"Just shut up and get out!" Beldam urged. "Those Koopa brothers left before us…we can still catch up, I know it!"

"I don't need your lame pep talk!" Queen crossed her arms. "Besides, we aren't allowed to shadow travel into a bus…we have to wait at a stop like some law-abiding citizens! I want to jaywalk!"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Best Friends (Mushroom City, Wiggler Bus)**

"Hopefully we're on the first bus there…" Zess murmured.

"I would think we are…we became finished with that task remarkably swiftly." Toadsworth smiled.

The two Toads leaned in closer together on the seat for a few seconds.

"…Oh my…" Both gasped in unison.

They pulled away, embarrassed before they started to chuckle.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Wrier's Hall, Entrance Hallway)**

"Finally…" Pungry somehow reached for a yellow comedy mask. "'The prestige of many theaters and auditoriums is brought about by brilliant advertising. Locate the advertisement staff rooms and search for a Toad with your mask.'"

"We're goin' backstage! Wootwoot!" Pungent joked, causing Pungry to laugh.

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends (Wrier's Hall, Entrance Hallway)**

"We might as well do this since we're already here…" Torque grimaced. "I hate the big city…"

"You're not alone, anymore…" Screamy sighed sadly. "'Laugh tracks are occasionally used for comedy dramas featured in Wrier's Hall. Locate supply room 22A on ground floor and find the Toad with your matching mask.'"

"This sounds so boring…" Torque groaned.

"I freakin' hate theater! I'm a major in mechanics…if only we'd gotten a driver that'd taken us to the Figure-8 Circuit in the first place…we would've done Races in a snap!" Torque stated. (After-Leg Interview)

**Husband & Wife: Married (Wrier's Hall, Entrance Hallway)**

"'Comedy plays at Wrier's Hall have mostly been focused around the importance of family friendship. Head into dressing room 301, used once by one-time play performer Zip T., and find a Toad with the matching mask.'"

The married couple stared at each other.

"Family friendship?" Husband asked. "That's got to be the corniest thing to make a comedy show off of…what kind of lame plays are these?"

"For your information, family ties can be highly important to the lives of families, especially married couples!" Wife retorted.

"Well, you know that I for one—"

"I can't believe that you are such a—"

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates (Wrier's Hall, Security Camera Room)**

"Muy bueno!"

Cortez handed over the comedy mask to the Toad, who held out a black tragedy mask.

"Let's see…" Pa-Patch cleared his throat. "'Rehearsals are usually done in most professional plays days before the premier on the stage the event is to be performed on. Search the stage for the Toad with the matching mask.'"

"Amigo, I see a sign pointing towards the stage down the hall!" Cortez exclaimed.

"Great!"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Figure-8 Circuit, Task 3)**

"Hold the drift steady, To…we can't go in the grass." Too warned.

"Don't worry, we've got it! There's the straightaway for the first lap!" To cheered.

"You know what'd be cool? If we really could switch places like on a Double Dash kart!" Too chirped.

"Yeah, I know! Too bad we can't with this type of kart style." To sighed dreamily.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Figure-8 Circuit, Task 2)**

"They've already started on the third task, Shimi…I can't take this! We're probably fighting to stay out of last place!" Waitress bit her lip, tears forming at her eyes. "I wish I'd taken driver's ed…"

"Just calm down, Waitress…we can get through this and be over with it." Shimi reassured, pushing the gas pedal as the team restarted the task. "Just keep your focus."

Waitress wiped her face on her sleeve.

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married (Wrier's Hall, Dressing Room 301)**

"I found it!" Wife pushed through the star-marked door of the dressing room and gasped at the glamour inside. "Oh, I'd love to live here!"

"Don't get your braid in a knot…" Husband growled. He handed over the comedy mask to the Toad, who returned a violet tragedy mask to him. "You read it."

"You're the one holding it…why not read it yourself?" Wife asked.

"Fine." Husband rolled his eyes and straightened his glasses. "'Don't let yourself be eliminated from the race, search for the Toad with the matching mask at the stage. None of the tragedy-genre plays performed at Wrier's Hall featured blood or guts in any way.' What's the fun in that?"

"Men are such beasts!" Wife screeched in disgust. The Toad wearing the comedy mask seemed to laugh at this remark.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Wrier's Hall, Walkthrough Museum)**

"We took too long…" Toadia gasped, handing the comedy mask to the Toad. She held out a green tragedy mask.

"There are already a lot of teams here…" Toodles mumbled worriedly. "Okay. 'Ten of the tragedy plays performed at Wrier's Hall were based on money-related factors. Go to the place where you're most likely to spend and locate the Toad with the matching mask.'"

"Concessions?" Toadia asked.

"No, that probably isn't it." Toodles shook her head. "…The souvenir shop. People would pay a lot to get souvenirs from a large place like this."

"…Oh, that's right!" Toadia realized. "We better hurry!"

"Toodles isn't my teacher for nothing. Even though it's only in piano, she's very smart, pretty, and once you get to know her, has a great sense of humor. It's what I admire about her so much." Toadia revealed. (After-Leg Interview)

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Wrier's Hall, Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This is a sickening ballet studio…)" Smorga commented on the entrance to Wrier's Hall.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Climb the rafters and taste the rainbow!)" Smorgo exclaimed, tackling the table of comedy masks. A white one ended up getting stuck to his/her/its body.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (A customer to our furniture!)" Smorga shouted, noticing a nearby concession stand.

-----

A Wiggler bus pulled up to a bus stop nearly a block away from Shell Circle Park, a large recreational area in the middle of the city. From a helicopter view, the trees surrounding the whole park seemed to faintly make the outline of a green Koopa shell. Waiting in front of one of the trees just across from the entrance of the park was the orange Yoshi host, Miles, along with a true city-greeter…Toadette.

**Andy & King/ Hamma & Flare (Mushroom City, Bus Stop)**

As the best friends stepped through the scanner, it read their genetic signatures. They both quickly paid a few Smash coins into the deposit box before rushing outside.

"Come on man, I see the park over there!" King K. pointed, holding onto his backpack to keep it from moving around on his shell.

"Crap, they're gonna beat us there! Hurry up!" Flare shoved Hamma out of the bus and allowed himself to be scanned.

"You hurry up, slowpoke!" Hamma grabbed his brother's hand and pulled him off milliseconds after Flare deposited coins.

Nearing the park, King K. pulled into his shell and started spinning along the sidewalk. Not wanting to test his balance, Bandy Andy tried his best to run and keep up with his partner.

"We can catch 'em! We're gainin'!" Hamma informed.

"I can see that!" Flare barked.

Entering under the iron arc of Shell Circle, King K. jumped out of his shell and jogged the last few yards to the mat, but waited for Andy to catch up before jumping on. Seconds later, Hamma and Flare entered through the gate, panting.

"Hi! Welcome to Mushroom City!" Toadette giggled, curtsying.

"Thanks, dude."

"Great to be here."

"Guys, come on in."

Miles smirked as the Hammer and Fire Brothers stepped onto the mat.

"…Well…Andy and King. You're team number one!"

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 1st Place, 9:49 A.M.**

"YEAH-HAH!" King K. whooped. "Awesome, yo!"

"Yes to teamwork!" Bandy Andy held a thumbs up. Hamma and Flare glared daggers at each other.

"…Erm…I have some more good news for you," Miles spoke faster, noting the impending danger the brothers were leaning towards. "As the winners of this first leg of the race, you have both won 10,000 Smash coins each, making a total of 20,000 Smash for your winnings that you can enjoy after the race."

"20,000…now THAT beats what we get paid for being at the Glitz Pit!" Andy laughed, doing a funky handshake with King K.

"I'll say yeah to that!" King K. grinned.

"Hamma and Flare, you're team number two." Miles stated before stepping back.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 2nd Place, 9:50 A.M.**

"Dangit, why didn't you get out of the bus faster?" Hamma demanded.

"Dude, shut up! I can freakin' tell you weren't running at your fastest!" Flare gritted his teeth.

Everyone sweatdropped as a dust cloud ensued, the sounds of punches and kicks filling the air as stars flew in all directions.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Figure 8-Circuit, Driver's Block)**

"…only by Wiggler bus, too…" Too finished. "I've heard of the Wiggler buses before!"

"Me, too! Oh, come on! Let's go!" To grabbed her bag from the kart.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Wrier's Hall, Concession Stand X)**

By sheer luck, the Smorg rolled by the Toad with their matching mask. With exact timing, the Toad grabbed the comedy mask from Smorgo and planted a gray tragedy mask on Smorga.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I thought I saw a puddycat!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Incorrect usage of grammar, young elder!)" Smorga berated.

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends (Wrier's Hall, Supply Room 22A)**

"Okay…let's see…" Torque looked at the back of the dark gray tragedy mask. "'Emotional trauma has been the case in the majority of most tragedy plays performed at Wrier's Hall. Will the same be for you? Locate the Toad at concession stand B with your matching mask.'"

"Concession stand B…we passed that on the way here!" Screamy remembered.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Wrier's Hall, Advertisement Rooms)**

"We've got to hurry…" Pungry muttered. "'There are over 300 dressing rooms in Wrier's Hall. On occasion, there haven't been enough to accommodate for all performers in some plays. Locate dressing room 21 to find the Toad with your matching mask.'"

"300 dressin' rooms in this place? Dang, they've gotta be small…" Pungent remarked. "They probably wouldn't even be big enough to fit me, I bet…"

"…That'd suck." Pungry chortled.

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Wrier's Hall, Stage)**

"Muy bueno! The pit stop!" Cortez exclaimed, reading the clue.

"We have to travel by Wiggler bus?" Pa-Patch questioned. "That sounds stupid…are those the long green trains we saw last night all over the place?"

"Yup, the very same! They zigzag to each destination, weaving through traffic." Cortez described. "Quickly, amigo!"

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Wrier's Hall, Stage)**

"There go the pirates! Hurry up and read it!" Wife urged.

"Don't shout at me, babe! I'm right next to you." Husband argued. "Make your way to the next pit stop at Shell Circle Park…you can only travel by Wiggler bus…the last team to check in WILL be eliminated! That's harsh!"

"Well, don't just stand there! Come on! We might be in last!" Wife pulled her spouse by the arm off the stage and the two started sprinting up the aisle.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Shell Circle Park)**

After a brief jog from the bus stop, the two Toads stepped onto the mat.

"Oh, hi Toadsworth!" Toadette giggled. "Welcome to Mushroom City!"

"Toadette?" Toadsworth raised an eyebrow questioningly. In response, she just giggled again. Zess T. looked at the pair in confusion.

"We're friends back at the castle. Don't worry…" Toadette winked, causing Zess to sigh in relief.

"Zess and Toadsworth?" Miles spoke, garnering their attention. "You're team number three."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 3rd Place, 9:57 A.M.**

"Third place? That's amazing…" Toadsworth smiled. "I wouldn't have ever thought we'd achieve so high on the first leg."

"It just goes to show what us oldies can do!" Zess laughed.

"We have our doubts running the race. Although we're technically not the oldest team here, we likely are in terms of physical strength. In spite of that, I feel we can go far…judging from the behavior of the other teams, we carry a stronger bond than some of them, and that'll be the trump card for us." Toadsworth explained.

"That's right…and it'll show the world that no matter how old you are, when you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything." Zess added. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Wrier's Hall, Souvenir Shop)**

"Thank you…" Toodles ripped open the envelope and pulled out the Route Info. "…We're going to the next pit stop by Wiggler bus."

"Bus? Wow, cool!" Toadia cheered.

"I know I saw the bus stop sign nearby…"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Shell Circle Park)**

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toadette tried to smile.

"Be quiet, unwanted peasant!" Queen demanded.

"…" Beldam slapped her face in disgust.

"Beldam and Queen," Miles started, "you're team number four."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 4th Place, 10:01 A.M.**

"WHAT! LIES! NOTHING BUT FIRST COUNTS FOR ME! DO YOU HEAR ME! YOU'RE TOTALLY LYING! WHY, I—"

The Shadow Queen screamed a muffled cry through Beldam's hand. Suddenly getting an idea, she retreated into the shadows before reappearing a foot away.

"DO NOT INTERRUPT! HOW DARE YOU TELL ME THAT WE GOT FOURTH, YOU IMBECILE OF A SO-CALLED HOST—"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Mushroom City, Bus Stop)**

"There's the bus! I see it coming!" Waitress pointed.

"I really hope we aren't last…the clue said the last team would be eliminated from the face, er…race!" Shimi recalled.

"That won't be us…I'm sure of it." Waitress commented.

**Pa-Patch & Cortez/ Husband & Wife/ Toodles & Toadia (Mushroom City, Wiggler Bus)**

Nervously waiting aboard the Wiggler bus, the three teams each thought they were going to be running to avoid last place.

"I know we can outrun those girls…but I don't know about that floatin' skull…" Wife murmured.

"As long as it's one, we're good…" Husband reminded.

"Don't leave anything on the bus, okay?" Pa-Patch told his partner. "We don't need to lose any wait for this run."

-----

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 10th (Wrier's Hall, Concession Stand B)**

"The pit stop…last team to check in will be eliminated! Crud!" Torque gasped in shock. "Come on, Screamy…we've gotta go!"

"How are we getting there?" Screamy questioned as he ran after his friend.

"By Wiggler bus!" Torque stated.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 11th (Wrier's Hall, Dressing Room 21)**

"We have to go all the way BACK to the freakin' entrance? What kinda hoax is this?" Pungent shouted, frustrated. "I bet everyone else already left by now…"

"Calm down, Pungent…we just have to see this through. Come on, we'll never know until we get to the pit stop!" Pungry encouraged.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN LAST (Wrier's Hall, Practice Set D)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I'm tired…I want to ride one of those lumpy camels!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

The two Smorg halted in front of a Toad wearing their matching tragedy mask to stare at a painting. The Toad pulled the mask from Smorga and attached an envelope to him/her/it.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Look, it's the thingamajiggers of the oak tree!)" Smorga indicated outside through a small window, referring to the Punis as they rushed toward the bus.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Let's go over to play!)" Smorgo suggested. The two Smorg bounced off.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Shell Circle Park)**

"Welcome to Mushroom City!" Toadette shook the sisters' hands.

"It's great to be here…" To started.

"So the pleasure is ours!" Too giggled.

"To and Too." Miles nodded. "You're team number five."

**To & Too: Sisters- 5th Place, 10:09 A.M.**

"Fifth! Wow, even after leaving the hotel in ninth!" Too exclaimed.

"We can aim higher next leg and maybe even win, right?" To asked.

"Yeah, of course!" Too agreed.

-----

**Husband & Wife/ Toodles & Toadia/ Pa-Patch & Cortez (Mushroom City, Bus Stop)**

The three teams rushed off the bus, with the married couple out in front. The pirates quickly overtook the two Toads, mostly because Toadia tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.

"Oh, my!" Toodles gasped, helping her partner up.

Sprinting in a race just for a higher placement, the front two teams entered the park.

"Come on, baby! Just a little bit farther to that ol' mat!" Husband encouraged.

"You can beat 'em, amigo!" Cortez yelled to Pa-Patch.

Coming from behind, the pirates managed to reach the mat just before Husband and Wife.

"Welcome to Mushroom City!" Toadette greeted.

"Pa-Patch and Cortez." Miles stated.

"Yes?"

"You're team number six."

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- 6th Place, 10:15 A.M.**

"Sixth! That means we're all safe!" Pa-Patch realized. "Awesome!"

"We can do better, but that'll be good for now." Cortez floated off the mat to allow the Twilight Town citizens on. Both had relieved looks on their faces.

"Husband and Wife. You're team number seven." Miles confirmed.

**Husband & Wife: Married- 7th Place, 10:15 A.M.**

"Considering we moved up a few places, we can settle for it…but we expect to do better next leg." Husband informed.

"You prepare that top spot for us, Miles! We're claimin' it!" Wife said slyly.

"We'll see." Miles laughed. "Toodles and Toadia. You're team number eight."

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- 8th Place, 10:16 A.M.**

"That's good…" Toadia sighed, rubbing her leg.

"Are you okay?" Wife asked worriedly.

"Um…yeah…" Toadia nodded.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Shell Circle Park)**

"Welcome to Mushroom City!" Toadette voiced.

"Thanks…"

"Shimi and Waitress." Miles looked them both in the eyes. "You're team number nine."

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 9th Place, 10:20 A.M.**

"Oh, gosh…we got ninth…" Waitress smiled. "Wow…I didn't think we could do it."

"Well, we did! We've made it through the first leg of the race body!" Shimi cheered, causing everyone to sweatdrop.

**Screamy & Torque/ Smorgo & Smorga/ Pungry & Pungent (Mushroom City, Wiggler Bus)**

Having joined the other two teams aboard the bus, Smorgo and Smorga had already deposited Smash coins in the box for no reason. They had more than enough, as they hadn't ridden inside any other public transportation the whole leg. Standing behind them on the moving bus were Screamy and Torque. On another segment of the bus was Pungry and Pungent.

Coming to a stop, the several doors on the bus opened, and passengers started to get out. Rushing from an empty section were the Punis, who gained a large lead before the Smorg even decided to bounce off the bus. Taking advantage of the situation, Screamy and Torque quickly paid their fare and jumped off in front of Smorgo and Smorga.

"We just have to maintain this lead and we can beat them there!" Torque exclaimed excitedly.

Suddenly, a harsh wind blew by the area…the Smorg, having gotten off the bus, started rolling like tumbleweed down the sidewalk. They blew past the best friends, and even the Punis…who were nearing the park.

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toadette grinned nervously.

"…Wow." Miles chuckled. "Smorgo and Smorga. You're team number ten."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 10th Place, 10:27 A.M.**

"SMORGSMORG (What was that? I hate ketchup on my balloons!)" Smorgo grumbled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I don't get it. That's confusing.)" Smorga replied.

As the Smorg bounced away, Miles and Toadette watched as the two teams entered the park, the best friends having caught up to the Punis. With a sprint of only a few yards, only one team would be safe from the inevitable elimination…

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toadette bowed.

"Thank you…"

"Yeah."

"…Well, it's come down to this, guys." Miles began. "Pungry and Pungent. You're team number eleven."

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 11th Place, 10:28 A.M.**

"…Real relief to my ears…even though I don't got none…" Pungent nodded.

"Sorry, guys…" Pungry apologized.

"Hey, it's a competition. No hard feelings." Torque shrugged.

"Screamy and Torque…as you know, you're the last team to arrive." Miles confirmed.

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends- Last Place, 10:28 A.M.**

"Well, someone has to be last…" Screamy beamed.

"…Nevertheless, I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Miles affirmed.

"Oh well…it's okay with us…at least me. I don't know about Screamy." Torque looked at his partner.

"Yeah…" Screamy sighed.

"The race is a lot harder than it looks. Now that we've experienced it first-hand, we don't really want to leave, because there was so much more we could've done. We've both realized that the race has shown us our strong points and weak points as individuals and as a team, as well as the strength of our friendship. If that isn't a prize, I don't know what is…but I know that to me, it's better than a million dollars." Torque smiled. 

"He's right. I know that I wouldn't have done the race with any other person," Screamy stated.

"Especially Luigi." Torque cut in.

"Heh, right…" Screamy snickered. "Anyways, I'm glad that we were able to be on the race. We did things we never would've done before, and we have experiences and memories that will last us a lifetime. That's good enough, because no one can ever take that from us." (After-Leg Interview)

A remorseful Pungry and Pungent looked at each other as Screamy and Torque left the park side-by-side. The morning sun cast warm rays on the true cement maze of the Mushroom world…the metropolitan known as Mushroom City.

-----

_Leg 1 Special Guest…_

_And now for the special guest speaker of leg one…the Excess Express ticket checker, Porter!_

_"Hey, everyone…" Porter waved. "It's great to be here…and I'm glad that I was able to see my buds Shimi and Waitress make it through the first leg. All the workers on the train kept on teasing 'em and said that they'd be the first ones eliminated, but they held on tight! For anyone interested, the second leg of the race is going to be at a city where more things are gained than lost in the long run…and it's all luck-based!_

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_Doubt clouds the minds of Pungry and Pungent as they recall that their fellow Punis were eliminated on the second leg."_

"Well, we're in the back of the pack now…we're sure to be eliminated…" Pungry sighed.

"Do you think it really matters? Punio and his sis started in first and fell! It's just fated to happen!" Pungent argued.

_"Brothers Hamma and Flare square off against the Shadow Queen."_

"If it weren't for the fact that this was a family fan-fic, I'd be weighing your fat purple head down with swear words right about now!" Flare shot.

"Hah, really? You can't do anything to me, anyways! No one controls the likes of my greatness!"

_"And the normally cheerful sisters find themselves distraught by a vehicular crisis."_

"This can't be happening…" Too sobbed. "We can't make up time now…"

"What should we do?" To asked through her tears.

_"All this and more awaits on the second leg of the Amazing Race." Porter stated. "I'd like to thank the author for having me here as the speaker…remember, everyone…the Excess Express isn't just a train. It's life!"_

-----

Leg Trivia:

- The format of Leg 1 is highly similar, but not exactly like, the base format of TAR10 Leg 1.

- The Shroomtop Café was based off of building structures seen in the racetrack Mushroom City in Mario Kart: Double Dash.

- It was originally planned for this leg not to contain a Roadblock. The planned Detour was also different, having a choice between Track and Tires, the former being the exact same option as Races. This Detour was scrapped because of its lack of variety, as both tasks involved driving.

- Wrier's Hall was the location of the Fast Forward in the MKAR when teams visited Mushroom City in Leg 3, but the fiction was discontinued and replaced with the current one in-progress. Additionally, the Route Info stated that over 500 different plays had been performed, a large jump of miscalculation, whereas in this race, a total of 836 is the real number. Because the MKAR and TTYDAR series have no time-based relativity to each other, this isn't a continuity issue; however, because of the major irrelevance it has, it wouldn't have been one in the first place.

-----

Author's Note (Update on 10/09/06): So…the Mushroom City leg seemed awfully reminiscent of Leg 1 of TAR10, didn't it? Arrival at night with the mentions of bright lights…the struggle to obtain early departure times…minus the mid-leg elimination and nighttime Roadblock of gorging fish eyes (bad taxi drivers, in my opinion, weigh out the fact that the zip lines didn't change team positions like food tasks would have)... Basically this leg is a tribute to the valiant efforts of Bilal & Sa'eed and Vipul & Arti for trying their hardest in Beijing, China. With surprises like that, it didn't make running the race any easier for those teams during the filming. Not only that, but the leg is also a wave to a great start on Season 10 (despite the fact that it's several weeks late).

Anyways, with that out of the way…sorry for taking such a LOOOONG time to update. It's been F-O-R-E-V-E-R! With school starting up again, it's hard to find the time to type…oh, well.

Late Disclaimer: I do not own the original character design of any TTYD characters. Although the Miles and Blaise characters are mine, the original Yoshi concept is copyright to Nintendo. Any spectacularly random phrase blurted out by the Smorg is copyright to whatever company/commercial/thing it came from.


	3. Leg 2: Luck Rush! Take the Gamble!

Author's Note (Update): 10/31/06

Happy Halloween, people! May the fun of the race begin!

Review Answers:

**llpoo33**: Yup, Smorgo and Smorga are the official comedy-makers of this season!

**SSBFreak**: You know it! Yay for the homeboys!

**Yoshi Hoshi**: Heheh, thanks…but I'm sorry to say that it was my crew (me, myself, and I) that ended up casting the two Smorg in the race after the vote. Lol, yeah…if Flavio was so bad the last season, I really do wonder what I'll do to the Smorg this season, with their new present, the odds of 10:000 to 1 of winning the race! As for my opinion of TAR10, I can agree with you on some of the things…but to me, the non-elimination penalty does seem a bit watered down…or maybe that's just because I'm weird. Oh well. Anyways, yeah…I'm sorta unfazed by the "new" twists and turns…as a matter of fact, I found the early elimination in Beijing just cruel! Still, the race seems to have kept most of the charm…but it does seem to have lost a little bit.

* * *

Loading the Memory Card… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

"GO!"

The teams flew by Miles and Blaise in an attempt to arrive at the packs first!

_Twelve teams of two departed from the remote island of Keelhaul Key to grab a spot on a ferry that would take them to an unknown destination. At the sign-up sheets, several teams faltered when they realized they had forgotten to grab pens to use, relinquishing their chances in making the first transport._

"We didn't get a pen at the door!" Too cried.

"I thought you got it!" Waitress gaped.

"DON'T TELL ME YOU FORGOT A PEN!" Wife screamed.

"First ferry has just one more spot left!" Pa-Patch remarked. "And it's all ours…"

"It would've been, amigo…it would've been." Cortez corrected.

_With their arrival in Mushroom City, several teams found trouble with taxi drivers._

Screamy trailed off. "That taxi driver dropped us off in front of the wrong place."

"By the looks of your actions, you don't know where you're taking us." Toodles observed.

_The following morning after the ride down the zip line, teams encountered their first Detour. Some teams excelled with a natural aptitude…_

"Awesome, now we can try going around the whole race track! This'll be cool!" Andy exclaimed, pushing the gas pedal forward.

"Don't worry, we've got it! There's the straightaway for the first lap!" To cheered.

_While others struggled just to keep their sanity._

"They've already started on the third task, Shimi…I can't take this! We're probably fighting to stay out of last place!" Waitress bit her lip, tears forming at her eyes.

"Dang!" Flare slammed his fist down on the dashboard, particularly aiming for the watch that read 0:34:86.

_Bandy Andy and King K. managed to fend off the rival Glitzville team for a first-place finish._

"You're team number one!"

"YEAH-HAH!" King K. whooped. "Awesome, yo!"

"Yes to teamwork!" Bandy Andy held a thumbs up.

_In the end, a three-way race to the pit stop ensued between the Smorg, the Punis, and the best friends. Screamy and Torque arrived last…_

"…Nevertheless, I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Miles affirmed.

"Oh well…it's okay with us…at least me. I don't know about Screamy." Torque looked at his partner.

"Yeah…" Screamy sighed.

_…And became the first team eliminated._

Homeboys Hit Home; Screamy & Torque Scared Off

_Now, eleven teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

"This is downtown Mushroom City. Surrounded by a large number of apartment complexes and office buildings in the relatively rural central section of the metropolis is this pristine recreational area, Shell Circle Park. This calm getaway from the stress and effort of city life, which features sculptor and designer Koolour Koopa's majestic work, the Tri-Shell Fountain, was the first pit stop in a race around the world.

At the end of the last leg, teams took part in a mandatory rest period that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The eleven teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues found in sealed envelopes to make their way to the next pit stop.

Andy and King, who arrived at 9:49 A.M., will depart at 9:49 P.M."

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 1st TO DEPART, 9:49 P.M. (Shell Circle Park)**

Although it was the beginning of the nighttime period in the day, activity in Mushroom City was just getting started up once more—neon and bright lights had already been turned on, giving the whole area a fantastic glow of different colors. Secluded from the majority of these illuminations, Shell Circle Park wasn't as brightly lit as some of the other areas. Instead, the Tri-Shell Fountain glowed with light hues of green, blue, and red, the colors accepted as being the most common tones of Koopa Shells. Along with the faint glow of the fountain, the pit stop marker was lit up with a small neon lining. However, both sources of light weren't nearly enough for the departing first team to read their clue.

As for outfits, Bandy Andy hadn't changed his robe, and King K. hadn't done anything about his choker.

King K. turned his headlamp on before opening the envelope.

"Well, man…here we go! '…Make your way to Mushroom International and locate a flight for Faire Square. Once there, drive yourselves into the downtown area using a marked car from Faire Airlines and find the Star Exchange. In order to get your next clue, you must purchase a star for a certain amount of coins that will depend on what time you arrive. You have 77 Smash coins for this leg of the race.'"

-----

Author's Note: Clarification. Faire Square, a board featured in Mario Party 6, can be considered in itself, a city. However, for the Amazing Race series purposes, the board area itself is known as the downtown part, where gambling and luck-based games take place. All other areas featured outside of it are thought of as an outer shell that lies around the middle of the city with more classic luck and casino games. In the downtown area, no cars of any sort are allowed; this is partially reinforced by the fact that the downtown area is on a raised platform that is always shrouded by a light fog that smells of money…my explanation is an exaggerated form of the replica as shown in the game, where it seems as if Faire Square is a raised area in the clouds.

-----

_Teams must find transport 7 miles to one of the biggest, most expansive airports in the Mushroom world—Mushroom International. Once there, they will need to board a flight that will take them 3,109 miles to Faire Square. Once there, they will need to hop into one of these marked cars and drive approximately 1 mile to the central area of Faire Square. Once there, teams will need to abandon their cars and run to the Star Exchange, where they'll need to pay to buy a star that is accompanied by their next clue. The first five teams to arrive will only have to pay 20 Smash coins to buy their stars; the last six will have to lose 30._

"Alright…" Bandy Andy watched as the bill he held up to the credit card turned into Smash coins before being sucked in. "…That's cool."

As the duo walked off the mat, the brothers stepped on.

"So far, the race has been pretty difficult and strenuous…lots of running, stress, and anxiety every second." Andy stated. "Although I know that King K. and I make a really strong team, I don't know if we'll keep the front of the pack status…there are other really powerful teams on the circuit that we'll have to watch out for." (After-Leg Interview)

"Yo, taxi! Over here!" King K. flagged down a taxi. "Hey, you know how to get to the flight base, right?"

"Airport? Of course…"

"Cool, man! Andy, we got one!"

Andy proceeded to throw his pack into the trunk.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 2nd TO DEPART, 9:50 P.M. (Shell Circle Park)**

Both brothers looked exactly the same as when they'd left the hotel in the morning, except for a few added bandages and bruises.

"We've gotta purchase a star with our money?" Hamma complained. "What'll we need that for?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Flare retorted. "Heck, this Faire Square place sounds boring…who'd want to do fair play, anyway?"

"It was just a fluke that King and Andy got first place last leg…a fluke. You better believe it, we're getting first place this time! Uh huh, that's right! US!" Hamma exclaimed and struck a pose, not realizing how redundant his statement was. (After-Leg Interview)

"Okay…Mushroom International. Hey, Jolene told me about that place one time…" Hamma recalled. "Eh, whatever."

"TAXI!" Flare spat a fireball at an oncoming taxi, causing it to skid out of control and miraculously halt in front of the brothers.

"Geez, what's your deal?!" Demanded the driver.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 3rd TO DEPART, 9:57 P.M. (Shell Circle Park)**

Swapping out her apron for a more casual set of blue jeans and a tank top, Zess T. had more of a relaxed look than Toadsworth, who was wearing a solid yellow vest over his purple shirt.

"We have a 77-coin bill in here…" Zess handed the paper to Toadsworth. He held it in front of the credit card, causing it to disappear in the form of coins.

"I say, we're off to a jolly good start of the second leg!" Toadsworth chuckled.

"I really am glad to have Toadsy-worthsy as my partner. It's not because of his travel experience or knowledge about potential locations we might visit…it's because…well…" Zess trailed off, blushing. (After-Leg Interview)

"Over here! Taxi!" Zess waved her hand around wildly.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 4th TO DEPART, 10:01 P.M. (Shell Circle Park)**

Neither of the shadow folk regularly wore clothes, so they had no wardrobe to change.

"…A flight for Faire Square…" Beldam paused to take a breath in between words.

"This is ridiculous, I mean really! Fourth in the first leg of the race? That's such an outrage, I swear!" Queen screeched. "Oh, well…at least we're the top female team…it doesn't help the other two very much that they're just girly Toads…as if they can do anything." (After-Leg Interview)

"77 Smash! Let's move it! Get a taxi! Go go go!" Queen ordered.

Beldam yawned. "Do we REALLY have to do this tonight?"

"You had twelve hours of relaxing! Get a move on, you slacker!"

"…I don't know what she's talking about…crazy didn't even give me one hour…" Beldam grumbled to herself.

-----

The major airport of Mushroom City, Mushroom International Airport, wasn't quite as busy during the nighttime as it was in the day; however, activity was always happening somewhere. Brightly lit just like the buildings around it, the large airport was balancing a tight schedule as planes took off and landed.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Mushroom International)**

"Wassup? Midnight flight to Faire Square, yo?" King K. asked incredulously. "That's frosty!"

"Yeah, I know!" Andy replied. He turned back towards the ticket agent with three words. "We'll take it!"

**(Andy & King- 1st ON FLIGHT 1, Mushroom Airlines)**

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- 5th TO DEPART, 10:09 P.M. (Shell Circle Park)**

Both Toads had changed their outfits from the previous leg; they had shirts that matched their respective red and pink hair colors, along with REALLY short shorts and sneakers.

"'Find the Star Exchange…'" Too read.

"Our dip into the first leg was pretty cool, it being Mushroom City and all. We've never been to any big cities like this before, so it's pretty sweet!" To giggled.

"Yeah, but we both know that there are other things that we want to see besides cities…exotic things, wild things…we've seen a lot before, so now we're aiming for seeing it all!" Too laughed. (After-Leg Interview)

"This water is so pretty…I dig those glowing colors!" To twirled her finger around in the fountain water. "I guess that these three colors show the main three of the Koopa shells…they're glowing directly onto them!"

"I thought that purple and yellow were colors, too…" Too murmured confusedly.

"But red, green, and blue are the main ones. That's all." To shrugged. "Hey, a taxi! Yay!"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Mushroom International)**

"It leaves at midnight? Dude…" Flare yawned. "We better get some shuteye on the ride there…"

"So do we take this flight or what?" Hamma asked.

"Duh, yeah! What are you, stupid or something?" Flare rolled his eyes.

"Oh, shut up!" Hamma replied, passing the passports over the counter.

**(Hamma & Flare- 2nd ON FLIGHT 1, Mushroom Airlines)**

"I wonder who else might make this flight…" Flare yawned, exhaling warm breath on his brother's face on purpose.

"Jerk!" Hamma slapped Flare, causing the Fire Brother to retaliate by knocking him over.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Mushroom International)**

"Okay…12:30…sounds good to me." Zess remarked. "I think we should go for this one."

"…Hm…I guess…" Toadsworth nodded hesitantly.

"Alright, then!"

**(Zess & Toadsworth- 1st ON FLIGHT 2, World Flyer)**

-----

**Pa-Patch & Cortez/ Husband & Wife- 6th TO DEPART, 10:15 P.M. (Shell Circle Park)**

Since neither of the duo usually had clothes, the only glaring appearance change was Pa-Patch's switching out to a pure red bandana. Husband and Wife, on the other hand, were both wearing black shirts that had white silhouettes of a scene from Twilight Town, along with long pants. Additionally, Wife had her blonde hair, which had been allowed to hang freely in the last leg, in a tight braid that hung down her back.

The pirates opened their clue, shortly followed by the married Twilight citizens. Waiting patiently off of the mat were Toodles and Toadia.

"Make your way to Mushroom International…"

"And locate a flight for Faire Square…"

"Right now, I'm just seeing the edge of the competitive side of Cortez. We've never been in any high-stress situations as a team, so we're relatively new to working together under pressure like this. So far, I think we're doin' pretty good." Pa-Patch remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

"I love my wife to bits…she's my one and only, and that's why we're married. But, things happen, and we argue. There's nothing to it then that. We've learned to accept it, but it still doesn't mean that we don't always remember our relationship in the heat." Husband said. (After-Leg Interview)

"77…that makes only about 120 for this leg, amigo. Come on!" Cortez urged.

"We better find a taxi, babe…" Wife muttered as she rushed after her husband.

Having not wasted time counting money on the mat, the teacher-student team was able to quickly leave the pit stop. It became apparent that Toodles had applied more make-up, and was wearing a sparkling red tank top that had frills near the collar area. Toadia had opted to wear blue overalls, a green shirt, and a pin in the shape of an "L" in homage to a certain Mario brother.

"Hopefully we can get a good flight…" Toadia stated, stuffing the Route Info in her pocket.

"Right…"

"Our relationship as a teacher-student team is quite different from that of any relationship of the other teams…in a word, it is quite…unique, if not strange." Toodles admitted. "Currently, we aren't having any problems with each other…and we hope not to. It all depends on how we perform as the race progresses." (After-Leg Interview)

"We should be able to find a taxi pretty quickly." Said Toadia as she stepped onto the sidewalk.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 9th TO DEPART, 10:20 P.M. (Shell Circle Park)**

Chef Shimi was without any accessories; Waitress, on the other hand, was wearing her shell earrings, pearl bracelets, and a necklace with a small diamond in the shape of the Excess Express dining car. She had on a white T-shirt and a pink mini-skirt.

"Drive yourselves into the downtown area using a stoked bar…er, marked car…"

"As a team, Waitress and I look backward toward making a higher landing in the…oh, wait… We look forward to making a liar standing in… We cook rearward… ARGH!" Shimi bounced around, frustrated with himself. (After-Leg Interview)

"I called a taxi shortly before we left the hotel area…it should be here by—oh, there it is!" Waitress exclaimed.

"Great." Shimi stated flatly, emphasizing the fact he only used one word.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Mushroom International)**

"There's nothing else?! That's lame! At least give me private seating!" The Shadow Queen demanded.

"Sorry…we only have economy class open." The agent apologized.

"UNACCEPTABLE, YOU PEASANT FOOL! I'M CALLING THE MANAGER FOR PERMISSION TO DESTROY THIS AIRPORT!"

Watching as her partner floated off angrily, Beldam turned back toward the flustered agent.

"Ignore her. She has issues." Beldam stated, handing over the passports.

"I HEARD THAT!"

**(Beldam & Queen- 3rd ON FLIGHT 1, Mushroom Airlines)**

**To & Too: Sisters (Mushroom International)**

"Midnight departure? What time does it arrive? That's what counts the most."

"Give or take, most likely about 5:00 local time."

"Oh, that's great!" To exclaimed. "Two tickets for that, please."

**(To & Too- 4th ON FLIGHT 1, Mushroom Airlines)**

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 10th TO DEPART, 10:28 P.M. (Shell Circle Park)**

Neither of the two Smorg had on any clothes; they were cloaked in a layer of trash and disgusting odors. Both of the Punis, who were standing off of the mat, were wearing matching hats—in Pungent's case, it was covering his bulb.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I have no feeling in my street sign!)" Smorga remarked, rolling on the mat like a dog.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You hurt my feelings, you big crybaby! Now you're going to give me my candy!)" Smorgo screamed at the pit stop marker.

Pungry and Pungent just looked at each other before opening the clue, annoyed by the two Smorg's repetitive low-pitched pronunciation of their name.

"…Make your way to Mushroom International and get on a flight…"

"Coming in second to last on the first leg of the race isn't very appealing at all…it felt really bad that we had to watch another team's elimination like that. Hopefully we'll be able to get out of the back of the pack." Pungry remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

"Let's ditch these two…" Pungent rolled his eyes as the Smorg started bouncing up and down.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Grape jelly took my fiancé for my teddy! HE'LL PAY!)" Smorgo squealed like a toddler.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Taste the rainbow!)" Smorga jumped into the fountain and started making the water turn hideous colors of green and black from the various grime-based items on his/her/its body.

"…Gross." The two Punis remarked in unison.

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married (Mushroom International)**

"…Leaves 12:30…got it. That should be good enough." Wife quipped. "What do you think, hon?"

"Sounds good…I think we should go ahead and take it." Husband agreed. "Two for the flight."

**(Husband & Wife- 2nd ON FLIGHT 2, World Flyer)**

"This better be the earliest one…we can't afford to be last to the Star Exchange." Husband proclaimed, plopping down on a seat.

"Well, that Star better not be too bright…these city lights already hurt my eyes as it is…" Wife complained.

"Twilight citizens are used to livin' under the moonlight. Although we've all been under the sun and in bright lights before, the race is sure to expose us to a factor that we're just not used to…it'll make it a whole lot more interesting!" Wife stated. (After-Leg Interview)

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates (Mushroom International)**

"Muy bueno…this flight definitely works in our favor!" Cortez smiled with a big, toothy grin.

**(Pa-Patch & Cortez- 5th ON FLIGHT 1, Mushroom Airlines)**

"Man, I'm tired…where's a bed when you need one…" Pa-Patch yawned widely.

"Heh, you'll have to sleep on the plane when we take off, amigo…others are waiting in line." Cortez reminded.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Mushroom International)**

"Two tickets, please…it sounds like a good flight." Waitress smiled.

"Sure thing…" The clerk waited for the tickets to print. "Here you go."

**(Shimi & Waitress- 6th ON FLIGHT 1, Mushroom Airlines)**

"Thank you very much." Waitress bowed. She then went over to one of the rows of seats, where Chef Shimi was reading a cooking magazine.

"Oh, please…I learned how to cook something like that in grade school! How can this be a confessional—I mean, professional, magazine?" Shimi pointed at a Shroom recipe.

"Really? That's weird…I never learned how to make a Shroom Granola…" Waitress revealed, giggling.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Mushroom International)**

"There are no connections or stops during the flight, correct?" Toodles inquired.

"No ma'am…straight there."

"I think we should go ahead and get it." Toadia voiced her opinion. "Maybe it's the quickest one there!"

"I don't know…but okay…" Toodles nodded slowly.

**(Toodles & Toadia- 3rd ON FLIGHT 2, World Flyer)**

"I could go for a midnight snack right now…" Toadia laughed, running off. "I'm hungry!"

"Airport food is so overrated…" Toodles rolled her eyes.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Mushroom International)**

"Sounds like a good flight…we'll take two tickets, please." Pungry requested.

"Sure…"

**(Pungry & Pungent- 7th ON FLIGHT 1, Mushroom Airlines)**

"I really hope that we can beat the other teams to central Faire Square…" Pungry muttered.

"We should. Not like we can't drive or nothin', right?" Pungent asked. "Don't worry about it, Pungry…just relax for now."

"Right…" Pungry exhaled.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Mushroom International)**

"Mommy, look at the cute little dolls!"

The Toad girl squealed with joy as the two Smorg passed by her on the luggage conveyor belt.

"They're absolutely filthy…wouldn't you prefer something of a cleaner caliber?"

"No, no! They're pretty!"

Giggling, the Toad girl waved as the unmoving Smorg disappeared from view.

-----

"Geez…people's luggage gets stranger every day…"

"And a lot smellier, too…"

The two Shy Guy workers closed the baggage compartment of the plane and walked off, complaining about how badly the last two bits of luggage, the Smorg, had felt, smelt, and looked.

**(Mushroom International 300, FLIGHT 1- DEPARTING AT 11:59 P.M.)**

Needless to say, the seven teams aboard the flight were surprised at seeing each other, as well as not seeing a certain few of the others.

_This is the first flight heading for Faire Square. Aboard are brothers Hamma and Flare, shadow folk Beldam and Queen, homeboys Andy and King, pirates Pa-Patch and Cortez, sisters To and Too, best friends Pungry and Pungent, express workers Shimi and Waitress, and stowaways Smorgo and Smorga._

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Weird accommodations for a tube hotel…)" Smorgo remarked on the crowded luggage area in the plane.

-----

**(World Flyer 59, FLIGHT 2- DEPARTING AT 12:35 A.M.)**

Although slightly worried from not seeing any others, the three teams riding were all able to fall asleep before the plane even took off.

_This is the second flight going to Faire Square; the teams that are on it are possibly dating couple Zess and Toadsworth, teacher and student Toodles and Toadia, and married couple Husband and Wife._

-----

It was early morning in Faire Square. Without the morning sunlight to brighten up the area, the dim appearance was further moved by the fact that the whole city was under a light drizzle, which gave the streets a faint light gray manifestation.

**(Mushroom International 300, FLIGHT 1- ARRIVING AT 5:16 A.M.)**

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Faire Airlines, Parking Lot)**

Rushing with the knowledge that the other teams were behind them, the train workers hadn't even bothered to pull on their ponchos as they dashed for the marked vehicles.

"I guess this is it!" Waitress commented, seeing the large red and yellow sticker planted on the windshield and a picture of her and Shimi posted on the other side. Running to the back, she quickly deposited the bags in the trunk before jumping into the passenger's seat.

"Here's a map of Faire Square that's been divided…" Shimi handed back a map. "Er, oops…provided. …Geez…"

"Great! Okay, make a right turn out of the airport lot." Waitress directed. Shimi followed her order, and in no time, the first marked car was out of the parking area even before another team had exited the airport.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Faire Airlines, Parking Lot)**

"Quickly, the other teams are right behind us!" Beldam urged, getting into the back seat.

"Don't order me around or rush me! I'll go when I'm good and ready!"

The two sat in silence for about ten seconds before the Shadow Queen realized what she'd just said.

"CRAP!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Faire Airlines, Parking Lot)**

"Hah, see ya, suckers!" Hamma jeered out the window as he cut off Queen from backing up.

"Nice one, bro!" Flare snickered as both shadow beings sputtered a few swear words. "Tsk, tsk…what awful English."

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Faire Airlines, Parking Lot)**

"Hurry, here's the map! Which way do I turn?" Too asked, throwing the map behind her seat to her sister.

"Right turn!" To answered quickly, as Too came up to the curb out of the lot.

"Hey, there's the Shadow Queen and Beldam up there!" Too noticed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Faire Airlines, Parking Lot)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Stick to the script, Lincoln…we're supposed to go into the mouse ears and come out at the head.)" Smorgo commented.

"SMORGSMORG (Ridiculous gibberish, I say…you must get rid of those dashing split ends.)" Smorga argued.

As if they understood what they were supposed to be doing, the two Smorg jumped into the driver's seat of a car...however, it wasn't a car that was marked with their picture on the windshield, as team cars were specially formatted to their bodies. Smorgo hopped down to the area with the pedals, while Smorga jumped onto the dashboard near the steering wheel. Somehow, they managed to pull off a successful back-up without crashing into any other cars, but that streak ended as Smorgo stomped on the gas pedal and made a noticeable dent in both their car and that of a freaked out team…

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Faire Airlines, Parking Lot)**

"WHOA, DUDE! THAT AIN'T COOL!" King K. hollered as he jolted forward in his seat. "Man, who the heck did that?!"

"…It's the Smorg…figures." Bandy Andy replied, looking out the window. "I'm surprised they're even driving…major freaky."

"Should we stay behind those things or get ahead of 'em?" King asked.

"…Ahead. They're gonna leave a trail of stuff…it's better to risk being in front of them than losing time from a jam." Andy decided.

"Since we live in Glitzville, car wrecks and such are things we don't have to deal with…but nevertheless, it's something that we're aware of. When the Smorg crashed into us, we sorta had a delayed reaction…it felt really weird." Andy remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Faire Square, Streets)**

"Okay…this is working well…" Pungry remarked on Pungent's performance. The Great Tree store owner was using his bulb to control pedals that were at seat level, and he moved the wheel with his body.

"Well for you! I ain't thinkin' that this is goin' fine for me!" Pungent answered back harshly.

"Geez…calm down…" Pungry replied defensively. "Just be careful…it's wet out there."

"I think I know that already!"

Pungry sadly looked out the window.

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Faire Square, Streets)**

"This rain is making it really foggy…it's hard to see…" Pa-Patch complained.

"You're doing fine, amigo…just take it slowly. The last thing we want is an accident…that'll cost us more time than going slow will." Cortez warned.

"Yeah…" Pa-Patch nodded.

-----

Downtown Faire Square was covered in an even lighter drizzle than that of the surrounding areas, but it had a worse fog. The majority of the buildings had applied awnings to their entrances to encourage visitors, as activity was always happening day and night, unless weather was extreme. A marked car pulled up to the boundary area of downtown Faire Square.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Downtown Faire Square, Entrance)**

Shortly after getting out of their car, it was clear that the team had taken some partial precaution to the rain—Waitress was wearing a yellow poncho that advertised the Excess Express, whereas Chef Shimi wasn't wearing anything.

"Wow, this place feels so…lucky." Waitress snickered. "It feels weird…"

Walking through the gates, the two made note of signs that pointed to different locales, as well as a stand that was holding brochure maps.

"Star Exchange…it's up there, on that braised—raised, platform!" Shimi stated, reading the map.

After heading down and up a few stairs, the duo passed by a ladder and ended up on the same level as the Star Exchange, where a sun-shaped creature was standing. He didn't seem to mind the shower as it made small splotches of water on his red robe.

"Hi, we'd like a Star, please." Waitress appealed, jumping up to the service area.

"For the race? Awesome…okay, all you need to pay is 20 Smash…" Brighton, the sun, told the team.

"Twenty…here." Shimi watched as 20 Smash coins flew out of the credit card and into a collection bin on one of the ledges.

"That's all there is to it!" Brighton gave the duo a thumbs up and handed them a Star, along with a clue envelope.

Waitress opened the clue and took out a red folder, along with a strange photograph of a top hat-shaped building. "'Roadblock. Who has eyes for victory?'"

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person can perform any more than eight on the entire race. In this Roadblock, that team member will have to take part in a popular game in Faire Square by wagering the Star they purchased at the Star Exchange—the Star Shuffle. Using the picture provided in the clue, the participant will need to make their way through the streets to the Star Shuffle gaming area, symbolized by this large, hat-shaped building. The team member will have to watch carefully as their Star is placed under one of six top hats that will be shuffled around at random. In order to win, he, she, or it will need to choose the right hat that their Star was placed under. If they choose right, they'll receive their next clue, along with a refund amount that will be changed depending on how many times it took them to complete the task. Unlike the usual wagers that the company goes under, teams will receive their Star back if they fail to complete the task on their first try; however, they might lose ground by having to wait in a line, as only one session can be performed at a time._

"It's my turn…and I'm going to keep us in." Waitress announced. She opened the card… "'Use the picture provided to locate the race area for the Roadblock. You will use your Star in a game known as the Star Shuffle—it will be placed under one of six hats, and you will have to pick which one it was under.' Hey, I've played a game like that before!"

"I see the rat in the—I mean, I see the hat in the picture!" Shimi pointed towards a large top hat building that was sitting next to a circle-shaped platform.

**Hamma & Flare/ Beldam & Queen (Downtown Faire Square, Entrance)**

"Move it! Outta my way!"

"Ha! As if!"

Pushing and shoving down the stairs, the brothers and the Shadow Queen fought just to get a few steps ahead of each other. Beldam, on the other hand, trailed behind, uninterested in Queen's plight.

"I WAS HERE FIRST!"

Slightly startled, Brighton jumped back at the trio's simultaneous shout.

"We were here first! Get in line, girl!" Flare pointed.

"Yeah! Move back!" Hamma demanded.

"Pfft! What're you going to do about it?" Shadow Queen asked sassily.

"Ever feel what a wooden hammer rammed against your face feels like?" Hamma inquired testily.

"Or how 'bout a ball of intense fire lickin' at your head?" Flare asked, readying a small flame in his mouth.

Queen looked like she was about to burst out laughing.

"OH, REALLY?! HAHA! WHAT WOULD THAT DO?! I'VE ALREADY FELT IT, AND IT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO ME! …Much…"

"If it weren't for the fact that this was a family fan-fic, I'd be weighing your fat purple head down with swear words right about now!" Flare shot.

"Hah, really? You can't do anything to me, anyways! No one controls the likes of my greatness!"

"This could take a while…" Beldam sighed.

"It's become really apparent over the last three days that not only am I partnered with the most hard-headed people in the race, but we're also rivals with the two most stubborn ones. Considering my position as somewhat neutral, my standpoint can say this…it SUCKS listening to them." Beldam shook her head. "You think their argument is NEVER going to end…" (After-Leg Interview)

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

Waitress handed the Star to the top hat-wearing Shy Guy for the second time.

"I'll try it again…" Waitress muttered.

"Rightio…"

After the Star was placed under one of the hats, they began to quickly spin around in a circle before stopping momentarily to swap places with each other. The pattern repeated several times before the hats stopped all the way.

"Go ahead and choose." The Shy Guy motioned.

"Um…" Waitress glanced at Shimi, who signaled that he couldn't help her. She then looked back at the circle. "…That one."

Looking over at the circle, the Shy Guy showed no emotion as the hat lifted to reveal…nothing.

"Drat!" Waitress shouted. "…Oh, no…"

While the mix-up of the hats had been going on, other teams had arrived at the downtown area, bought their stars, and walked over to the Star Shuffle. Directly behind the express workers were the Smorg, who were bouncing a few feet ahead of the sisters and the homeboys.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I'm ready to be mummified for breakfast!)" Smorga announced. The Shy Guy just stared at him/her/it, while Waitress completely freaked out and practically dove for the end of the line.

"…I have no idea what the HECK this thing is saying…oh well."

The hats started spinning…

**Hamma & Flare/ Beldam & Queen (Downtown Faire Square, Entrance)**

"Alright, alright! Go ahead!"

Queen giggled in a childlike tone that seemed completely unnatural as the 20 coins passed over, and she pulled over a Star.

"Hey, guys…since you're the sixth team, I'll need 30 coins." Brighton informed the brothers.

"What?! Hey man, that's crap!" Hamma shouted. "How'd we get into sixth place?!"

"…I shouldn't tell them. They wouldn't catch on." Beldam whispered to Brighton.

"YOU KNEW WE WERE DROPPING AND DIDN'T INFORM ME?! SHAME ON YOU, BELDAM! SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME! YOU'RE GETTING PUNISHED AT THE NEXT PIT STOP!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Sausage sautéed in savory salad sauce saved Stonehedge.)" Smorga remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How do I get to Onett from here?)" Smorgo directed at Too and To, who nervously giggled before backing away.

The hats stopped spinning. Smorga jumped onto a hat and started bouncing on it.

"SMORGSMORG (Bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy…)" Smorga flipped over as the hat rose up to reveal…the Smorg's Star.

"…Wow. Didn't think you'd make it on your first try." The Shy Guy stated. He reached over to plant a clue on Smorga, along with an amount of 75 Smash coins.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (How come you got earrings, but I didn't? That's not fair!)" Smorgo tackled Smorga, causing the two Smorg to roll away from the Star Shuffle.

"…Okay. Who's next?" The Shy Guy asked. Too stepped up in a pink poncho that matched her hair.

"Me…here." Too handed the Star over. He placed it under a hat and started the six spinning once more…

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Downtown Faire Square, Star Exchange)**

"'Roadblock. Who has eyes for victory?'" Pungry read. "It's my turn…I'll go for it."

"What's with this freakin' rain…this is gettin' annoyin'…" Pungent complained, feeling the light raindrops hit his bulb. "These puddles are gonna get big real soon…"

The two watched as the Smorg rolled by, muddy from rolling around on the streets.

"If they're in first, you can hit me with a hammer and use a HP drain on my dead body…" Pungent swore, causing Pungry to give him an astonished look.

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"Yeah, first try!" Too cheered, causing a jealous Waitress near the back of the line to fume. To held out the credit card as a 75-coin bill was handed to her, along with the envelope.

"Okay." To opened the card. "'Get back in your marked car and drive yourselves to the House-Edge Casino on the edge of town, and locate your next clue close to the slot machines.'"

_Teams will now need to leave downtown Faire Square, get back in their marked cars, and drive 4 miles to this place, the House-Edge Casino, sitting on the edge of town. Contrary to its name, a lot of the games played in this brightly-colored, famous casino are bent in favor of players, which is a deep contrast to the majority of the other casinos in classic-game Faire Square. Teams will locate their next clue inside the casino, next to one of the five rows of Mushroom Kingdom slot machines._

"A casino?! Cool…" said Too.

"Come on, let's go!" To cheered. The sisters ran off and down the steps.

"Next!"

Bandy Andy walked up and handed the Shy Guy a Star.

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Downtown Faire Square, Star Exchange)**

"30 coins for just a clue? Somefin' feels like highway robbery…" Pa-Patch growled, opening the envelope.

"Amigo, skim the Fast Forward!" Cortez ordered.

"Fine…" Pa-Patch pulled out the Fast Forward clue. "'Make your way to the Luck Wheel, and attempt to match three vertical symbols. Each spin costs 1 coin.'"

_There is one Fast Forward award hidden on most legs of the race, and any team that receives it can skip all tasks and head directly to the pit stop. However, once a team uses a Fast Forward, they cannot use another one for the rest of the race, so they must decide when it is most advantageous to go for it. In this Fast Forward, that team will need to travel in the opposite direction of the Star Shuffle and instead head for this treasure chest-shaped building, called the Luck Wheel. Teams will spin the slots of the game in an attempt to get a possible match of all three rows with matching symbols. While usual players of the game find the winning capabilities of one row or diagonal relatively high, the likelihood of making three matching rows on the wheel has been toned down to 1:400. Even worse is the fact that for each spin, the team will have to pay one Smash coin, and unlike the regular rules, teams won't receive payback for regular matching rows of one. If a team is lucky enough to succeed in this unfortunately chance-based task, they will receive the Fast Forward award._

"ONE COIN FOR EACH SPIN?! Geez! That's friggin' impossible to get within our range of money!" Pa-Patch exclaimed, astonished.

"We might as well try for it…there are so many teams already ahead of us." Cortez reasoned. "Besides…how hard could it be? I'm feelin' lucky!"

"Oh, fine…"

Ignoring one of the map brochures they'd picked up, the pirates headed out of downtown Faire Square and hopped back into their marked vehicle.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"'Get back in your marked car and drive yourselves to the House-Edge Casino on the edge of town, and locate your next clue close to the slot machines.'" King K. read. "Nice job, man! Now we can move on and try to catch up!"

"Right." Andy agreed, picking up his pack.

"I guess I'm next again…" Waitress meekly held out the Star.

"Hurry up! Time's a wastin'!" Queen yelled.

"Yeah! What she said, but I'm just not agreeing with her!" Hamma stated, causing everyone to sweatdrop.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"Finally…" Waitress sighed as she was handed the clue, and a bill for 30 Smash coins. "…House-Edge Casino."

"I haven't gone rambling before!" Shimi exclaimed.

"…Don't you mean 'gambling'?" Waitress asked as the two jogged away from the Star Shuffle.

"…Oh yeah. Fumbling—I-I mean, gambling!" Shimi quickly tried to recover, causing a sigh from his partner.

-----

**(World Flyer 59, FLIGHT 2- ARRIVING AT 5:50 A.M.)**

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Faire Square, Streets)**

"Okay, we're on the road now…and I'm STILL sleepy." Wife muttered crossly, rubbing her eyes with one hand.

"Both hands on the steering wheel, babe…make a left on Able Avenue." Husband directed, reading the map.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 10th (Faire Square, Streets)**

"Are we in last, Zess?" Toadsworth asked curiously.

"I don't know…I think we are, but I thought I saw another marked car in the parking lot." Zess replied, turning the steering wheel.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN LAST (Faire Airlines, Parking Lot)**

"This is the Smorg car…but ours isn't here? What gives?" Toadia asked, confused and hurt.

"I'm afraid I don't know, but we can't do anything about it but use theirs." Toodles replied.

_In the TTYD race, all cars are formatted to fit a specific team. If a certain team drives off with another team's car, the team will have no choice but to use the remaining car used by that team. Any confusion with marked cars that occurs will be traced back to the first perpetrator._

Stepping into the Smorg car, Toodles looked with disgust at the fact that the brake pedal and gas pedal were right next to the steering wheel.

"They better be penalized for this…" Toodles groaned angrily.

"Although it's sort of weird, I know something about Toodles that most don't…she's headstrong, and always expects things to go the way she wants." Toadia remarked. "The problem is…on the race, that isn't always possible…so I think we might have quite a few waves going our way." (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates (Faire Square, Streets)**

"This is really weird…I don't see this Luck Wheel anywhere on the map." Pa-Patch murmured.

"Thank you, amigo." Cortez replied to a Goomba outside. "Pa-Patch, we made a very big mistake…"

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Pa-Patch asked in confusion.

"The Luck Wheel is back at downtown Faire Square…" Cortez answered, causing Pa-Patch to groan.

"We're idiots…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"HAH! Take that, Queenie! I got it, and you didn't!" Hamma shouted, sticking his tongue out at a fuming Queen while holding up a 75-coin bill.

"It's so obvious that she'd fail, though…she sucks at everything." Flare replied, laughing as he picked up his backpack.

"…Who's going to tell them that I'm the one that did the Roadblock and not Queen?" Beldam asked rhetorically to the air.

Trembling, the Punis moved away nervously as Queen glared daggers at the passing by brothers.

"Next!"

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"…Um…it's that one." Pungry pointed his snout in the direction of the hat closest to him. It lifted to reveal…his Star.

"YEAH!" Pungent shouted. "Awesome job, Pungry! I just KNEW you'd do it right!"

Pungry accepted the clue and a 75-coin bill.

"Come on, we can't waste any time…" Pungry ushered.

As the Punis hurried off, Beldam stepped up for her second try.

-----

A marked car stopped in front of the House-Edge Casino, a brightly-colored building that glimmered with a golden yellow that matched the brilliance of a Star. The front canopy was held up by decorative columns that resembled stacks of coins. Several red-carpeted stairs led up to the front entrance, which was surrounded by a purple semi-oval of glass.

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 1st (House-Edge Casino, Parking Lot)**

"Wow…this color scheme reminds me of Mardi Gras." To gasped as the two got out of their car, the red-haired Toad carrying the travel pack.

"Yeah…"

Stepping inside, the two immediately noticed the clue box standing on the intricately-designed carpets. Too took one out and opened it to reveal a yellow folder.

"Detour. Spin Out or Fall In," Too began.

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams will have to choose between two more classic casino games often played in Faire Square…their choice—Spin Out or Fall In. In Spin Out, teams will need to choose one of these roulette tables and partake in several rounds of roulette. Teams will be limited to choose only three of the thirty-six numbers on each try, and will win a round if one of their chosen numbers is landed on. Once the team wins three rounds, they'll receive their next clue from the croupier. In Fall In, teams will need to choose one of these large pachinko machines. Starting with five steel balls in their launcher, teams will have to control over the pins in the field in an attempt to make the balls fall into certain gates that will add more balls in for their next go. Teams will need to accumulate a total of twenty-five balls for a game, at which point the machine will produce their next clue._

"Wow…and we're the first team here, Too!" To noticed.

"Awesome! What should we do? I think we should do…"

"Fall In?!" the sisters asked in unison. "Yeah, totally!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"House-Edge Casino…okay, let's go!" Beldam held the 60-Smash bill up to the credit card.

"Don't order me around or tell me what to—"

"JUST GO!" Beldam screeched, pulling her hat over her hair in an effort to try and keep it dry.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (House-Edge Casino, Pachinko Machines)**

Having found the set of decorative Fire Flower pachinko machines, the sisters quickly hustled to each side of the closest contraption. In a way, the controls were set up somewhat like a foosball table; there were levers on alternating sides that allowed the two to control the movement of the pins. At the very bottom of the field were fifteen different holes. Only six of the fifteen were marked with labels that showed they would add more balls for the next turn; one hole would add five, two would add three, and the remaining three holes would add one.

"I guess we're ready!" Too smiled brightly. She pushed a button next to the clue slot labeled 'Start' that started a timer. It clicked down from five seconds before launching five balls out.

"Oh, wow!" To and Too laughed as the balls caused the pins to make distinct clinking sounds similar to that of a pinball machine.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (House-Edge Casino, Pinball Row)**

Amazingly, the two Smorg had somehow driven themselves through the showering streets of Faire Square and achieved getting to the House-Edge Casino. Although a clue envelope had gotten stuck to Smorga, the oblivious Smorg weren't interested in getting the Detour accomplished…they were distracted by the bright flashing lights on many of the machinery, and were having a moment comparable to a seizure.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Power depleting…30…54…)" Smorgo remarked dizzily.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Really? I had no idea ice was so warm…)" Smorga responded.

-----

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates (Downtown Faire Square, Luck Wheel)**

"…Great…that's one coin gone." Pa-Patch sighed as he stared at the slots. "What now?"

"We try again, amigo." Cortez replied. "We wasted time coming back here, so now we need to finish it off!"

Pa-Patch nodded grimly, and hit the block. On the second jump, it became apparent that the attempt was a failure.

"This is going to take forever, though…" Pa-Patch complained warningly.

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Downtown Faire Square, Star Exchange)**

"30…here." Husband tapped his foot impatiently. "Even I can do better service than this, and I don't handle the sales…"

Wife smiled furtively, while Brighton narrowed his eyes.

"Roadblock. 'Who has eyes for victory?'" Husband read. "That's my wife."

"No it's not." Wife said, grabbing the Fast Forward folder. "We're in last, remember? Let's read this…"

"We are NOT in last!" Husband argued. "There are teams behind us!"

"So?" Wife opened the folder. "…This sounds easy enough. Come on!"

Struggling, Wife managed to drag Husband away in the direction of the Luck Wheel, in spite of the fact that they were putting up a lot of water as a result of Husband's skidding feet.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"Let's see…I know I can do this…" Toadsworth murmured as he watched the hats. They suddenly came to a stop.

"…These are the kinds of games people play these days?" Zess asked in disgust.

"Would it be…that one?" Toadsworth asked, pointing at a far hat. It lifted to reveal…a Star.

"Glorious!" Zess cheered as Toadsworth took the clue and a 75 Smash coin-bill.

"…The House-Edge Casino is the next destination…"

As the elderly Toads quickly speed-walked away, Toadia stepped up.

"I'm next!"

**Pa-Patch & Cortez/ Husband & Wife (Downtown Faire Square, Luck Wheel)**

"We're going to really run out of money fast…" Wife muttered incredulously, staring at the credit card's coin number, which had been dwindling down at an astounding rate for the past two minutes.

"You know what? Maybe one of us should do the Roadblock…" Husband remarked.

"No. We're going to keep going and get the Fast Forward!" Wife retorted harshly. "A few lost coins ain't gonna hurt!"

"She has no idea what she's talking about…we're losing more than just a few coins…" Cortez muttered as another Smash coin was taken, and Pa-Patch jumped into the block.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 10th (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"Make your way to the House-Edge Casino…alright." Toodles pulled her pack back on.

"These puddles seem sorta weird…" Toadia stated, putting her foot down in one of the shallow puddles on the street.

"Toadia, come on."

"Oops, sorry!" Toadia giggled.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Faire Square, Streets)**

Startled, Pungry looked out the window.

"Pungent…are you sure that this is the right way? I coulda sworn that I saw that exact same travel agency for the fourth time now."

"…This is the right way…no worries or nuthin'…" Pungent reassured.

"Are you sure we're not going in circles?" Pungry asked.

"Wha? Of course not? You not trust me or somethin'? I'm appalled at ya, Pungry!"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"Um…let's see…" Andy paused. "My personal lucky numbers are 7, 4, and 30…let's go with that."

The two Glitzville fighters were sitting on two red-seat stools that were pulled up to a green roulette table that had an alternating color scheme of red and white on the number panels. Overall, each roulette table seemed like a 3-D mushroom with a red-and-white base when spinning.

"Come on, baby…land on one!" King K. chanted. Unfortunately, the ball ended up on the number 22. "Darn…"

"You pick some numbers this time…" Andy decided.

"Alright…"

**To & Too: Sisters (House-Edge Casino, Pachinko Machines)**

Even though they'd arrived relatively early in comparison to King and Andy, the sisters weren't faring very well on the pachinko game. Their counter stated they'd only accumulated 8 steel balls.

"Okay…this is harder than it looks." Too murmured nervously.

"Wait, hold on!" To gasped. "Yes! 3 more!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (House-Edge Casino, Pinball Row)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (THIS IS SO AMAZING I CAN'T STOP!)" Smorga screamed, even though he/she/it wasn't doing anything.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I can't hear the water gurgle.)" Smorgo started bawling as the pinball machines made more loud noises.

"Detour. Spin Out or Fall In." Waitress read. "Oh, boy…this doesn't sound very promising."

"…Eheheh…uh…" Shimi cleared his throat, causing Waitress to look at him questioningly. "…Yeah, um…leave it to me…I'm sorta a kind of…raving whiz when it comes to roulette-er, gaming whiz…"

"Really?!" Waitress gasped, clearly shocked. "Cool! Come on, let's go before those Smorg get over here…"

-----

**Husband & Wife/ Pa-Patch & Cortez (Downtown Faire Square, Luck Wheel)**

"This is going to turn nasty…if one team gets the Fast Forward, the other will probably be eliminated…" Husband mused to himself as Cortez hit the block, but failed to get any matching rows.

"You're right. So you better get the Fast Forward." Wife concluded, causing a sweatdrop from Husband.

"Shut up!" Husband hissed.

"We're getting low…we better do somefin' before we go flat broke." Pa-Patch warned.

"Yeah…" Cortez observed as Wife hit the block. "But what can we do except hope that we're lucky enough?"

-----

**Hamma & Flare/ To & Too (House-Edge Casino, Pachinko Machines)**

"Okay…that SUCKED." Hamma stated on their first go at the pachinko machine. "We didn't get anything!"

"Keep trying! Launch!" Flare slammed the button impatiently. "Come on, what's with this stupid stall?"

"We got it…that's one more." Too remarked.

"After a few tries at the pachinko machines, we both agreed to take it easy and try to aim for spots where the add-holes were somewhat grouped in hopes that the balls would go in. There wasn't really any reason to stress about it…we had a comfortable lead over the arriving teams." To stated. (After-Leg Interview)

"Fourteen down, eleven more to go…" To nodded. She pushed the Start button.

**Andy & King/ Shimi & Waitress (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"Dang!" King K. blinked as the ball stopped in panel thirty-two.

"This isn't getting very promising…" Andy sighed. "Okay…2, 15, and 36."

"Oh, it didn't go in…" Waitress sighed. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah, of horse." Shimi grinned, causing the croupier to look at him strangely. "28, 27, and 26."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (House-Edge Casino, Refreshment Bar)**

Several screams were heard as the two Smorg bounced around the bar, causing security to come out. Every time an officer leapt to catch one of the Smorg, he or she always crashed into another officer.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (MY TEDDY-WEDDY BEAR! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!)" Smorgo roared.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Faire Square, Streets)**

"Are you sure you don't know where it is?"

"Sorry, I don't…"

Undaunted, the best friends walked out of the convenience store.

"Well, we're in the back of the pack now…we're sure to be eliminated…" Pungry sighed.

"Do you think it really matters? Punio and his sis started in first and fell! It's just fated to happen!" Pungent argued.

"How could you say that? Punio and Petuni missed a connection. We didn't. We just got lost!" Pungry responded, his tone rising.

"We didn't just get lost! WE'RE LOST! WE LOST, FLAT OUT!" Pungent shouted. "There's no way to win this freakin' thing now! We might as well catch a flight home! We've been drivin' around forever!"

"You're so pessimistic! I bet that's the whole reason we're not in this…you don't have any self-confidence. That's why we're in last." Pungry stated, causing Pungent to stare at him in shock.

-----

**Husband & Wife/ Pa-Patch & Cortez (Downtown Faire Square, Luck Wheel)**

"We're down to like, 20 coins…we aren't doing so well…" Pa-Patch warned. "Maybe we should give…"

"…You're right, amigo…" Cortez sighed unhappily, taking out the Roadblock. "We might as well…there's no way we're going to get this Fast Forward. Roadblock… 'Who has eyes for victory?'"

"That's you." Pa-Patch claimed.

"Bueno…so we just need to find the Star Shuffle, then." Cortez murmured. "Wait, I think that's it!"

As the pirates took off for the Roadblock, a nervous and doubtful Husband and Wife looked at each other.

"Should we follow? We ain't got much money neither…" Wife said, showing the credit card's count.

"…No. We're stayin'. We can get it!" Husband said, determined. "If not, you can just blame me when we're eliminated."

"No need. I already blame you for everything." Wife waved it off, causing her husband to face fall.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 6th (House-Edge Casino, Pinball Row)**

"'Detour. Spin Out or Fall In.' …I say we do Fall In." Beldam chose.

"NO WAY! There's too much effort in that, anyway…Spin Out." Queen ordered.

"But—"

"SPIN OUT!"

**Andy & King/ Shimi & Waitress/ Beldam & Queen (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

With the Shadow Queen and Beldam joining them, the other two teams sat anxiously at their respective tables. Although they'd arrived first to the tables, Andy and King hadn't won a single round yet. However, Shimi and Waitress had already obtained an amazing two.

"36…23…16." Shimi said slowly. The croupier raised those numbers, set the ball atop the roulette spinner, and started it.

"This is taking forever…" Bandy Andy realized. "Should we switch? We're not having much luck."

"I dunno, dude…" King K. answered. "I'll leave that up to you."

"…We should go to the pachinko."

As the friends stood up, they partially startled Beldam and Queen.

"Is it really that hard if they're giving up?" Beldam asked, astonished.

"Maybe…whatever. I chose 1, 11, and 111." Queen said.

"Sorry, but there's no 111 on the table, ma'am."

"I WANT 111!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (House-Edge Casino, Billiards Tables)**

Currently, the Smorg were playing the role of two overtly large billiard balls on the pool tables. Strangely enough, no one seemed to notice.

"Mommy, mommy! It's the cute dollies I saw at the plane building back at the big city! They're so cute and fluffy and pretty and I want one, mommy!"

"Dear, that's impossible for them to be the same ones…except they don't look as atrocious…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I feel like a mannequin.)" Smorga whispered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I feel loved!)" Smorgo replied quietly.

**To & Too/ Hamma & Flare/ Andy & King (House-Edge Casino, Pachinko Machines)**

"Okay, we've almost got it…just three more…" Too mentioned excitedly.

"Oh, move that row to the left! No!" To cried as one of the balls fell into an unused hole.

A few machines over, the brothers weren't communicating as well, most likely resulting in the fact that they were still stuck at 10 steel balls.

"This is crap. How're they doing this so easily?" Flare asked rhetorically.

"Maybe our machine's rigged…" Hamma rolled his eyes.

"This doesn't look so hard…" Andy observed, slamming the Start button and starting the countdown.

"We'll see in just a sec, man…" King watched as the balls were launched into the field of pins.

-----

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"Would it be that one?" Cortez asked, directing his gaze at a hat. It lifted to reveal…ground.

Pa-Patch groaned.

"Um…okay, go again…" Cortez requested.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Downtown Faire Square, Luck Wheel)**

"We're down to like our five coins, babe…hurry it up so we can just leave already!" Wife urged.

"Hold your angry horses!" Husband commanded, jumping into the block.

Suddenly, a bell went off. Wife looked up in shock. All three vertical rows were matching—the first was three treasure chests, the second held Koopa shells, and the third several Mushrooms. The Koopa supervising the event applauded.

"You finally got it. That deserves…this." The Koopa handed over the Fast Forward.

"YES! OH, THANK YOU!"

"What'd I tell ya? We'd get it!"

After sharing a brief embrace with his spouse, Husband opened the Fast Forward.

"'Congratulations for winning the Fast Forward. Now, make your way to the next pit stop at the Sun and Moon Hotel.'"

_Having won the Fast Forward, Husband and Wife can now skip all tasks and proceed to the next pit stop, the Sun and Moon Hotel._

"Come on, let's go!" Wife exclaimed. The married couple excitedly ran off towards the entrance to downtown Faire Square and their marked car.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"YEAH! YES!" Waitress shouted excitedly, startling the other teams in the casino.

"I told you I knew what I was doing…" Shimi grinned as the croupier handed over the clue.

"'Drive yourselves to the next possible pit stop, the Sun and Moon Hotel. Warning, the last team to check in may be eliminated.'"

_Teams must now make their way 6 miles to the next possible pit stop, at the Sun and Moon Hotel. Built in what was considered the 'level ground' city of the six feuding areas, it is a monument to the peace between the sun and the moon after their remarkably narcissistic and relatively unimportant argument. This towering 5-story castle-like hotel, standing over 150 ft. tall, is the possible pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here may be eliminated._

"Possible pit stop? What does that mean?" Waitress asked curiously.

"No idea, but we better scurvy! Er, hurry!" Shimi stuttered.

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (House-Edge Casino, Pachinko Machines)**

"That's twenty-five!" To exclaimed. As the last of the steel balls fell into holes, a race envelope slowly came out of the slot as a shutter moved over the pachinko field.

"'Drive yourselves to the next possible pit stop, the Sun and Moon Hotel.'" Too read. "Another hotel? Wow…"

"I saw the other two leave just a minute ago; we can still catch up!" To exclaimed.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 8th (House-Edge Casino, Pinball Row)**

"Oh, my…I haven't played a round of roulette in a long time…shall we do that?" Toadsworth inquired.

"Well, sure! You deserve to get a chance after doing that Roadblock." Zess replied. "And anyways…I'm feeling lucky right about now!"

"How quaint, so am I!"

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 9th (House-Edge Casino, Pinball Row)**

"Wow, there's Toadsworth and Zess right there…we caught up to them on the way here!" Toadia observed.

"Interesting…" Toodles murmured, drawing her partner's attention back to the task. "Detour…Spin Out or Fall In."

"…Um…what should we do?"

"…Roulette sounds easier than controlling a pachinko machine…I don't even know what one is." Toodles chuckled.

-----

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates (Downtown Faire Square, Star Shuffle)**

"We have more money! Maybe we can—"

"Oh, gosh…you've gotta be kiddin' me…"

After rushing back to the Fast Forward upon discovering that they'd obtained more money in hopes of retrying, the two pirates were obviously shocked to discover the sign in front of the Luck Wheel: 'Fast Forward Taken.'

"Crud…now we're in last for sure…" Pa-Patch groaned.

"Well, amigo…at least we tried…but hey, look at the bright side! We have the Route Info! We still have a chance in this!" Cortez exclaimed.

"…Hey, you're right…" Pa-Patch opened the envelope. "Please be somewhere we can find without getting lost…"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 4th (House-Edge Casino, Pachinko Machines)**

Using teamwork, the Glitzville duo was quickly able to surpass the constantly squabbling brothers and finish collecting all twenty-five steel balls.

"Cool, yo!" King K. exclaimed, taking the envelope from the slot. He opened it and handed the Route Info to his partner.

"…Pit stop at the Sun and Moon Hotel." Andy remarked. "…Hey, I've heard a rumor about that place…supposedly, Brighton and Twila still feud over what to serve guests at the all-you-can-eat buffet dinners…"

"…That's…um…TMI, man…"

"Look, they passed us because you can't hit that 5-ball hole!" Hamma said angrily.

"So what? It's not like you can either!" Flare argued.

The brothers both sighed. "All we've been getting are ones…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This isn't enjoyable in any fun way!)" Smorgo complained.

Although they were randomly pushing levers, the two Smorg were quickly accumulating steel balls after their unannounced entrance into the Fall In task.

**Beldam & Queen/ Zess & Toadsworth/ Toodles & Toadia (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"This is just great…we've only got ONE! It's all YOUR fault, Beldam!" Queen pointed fingers.

"Me?! But how? "…That's impossible…I NEVER CHOSE THE NUMBERS! That's—"

"I just know!"

"They're creating quite a ruckus, aren't they…" Toodles rolled her eyes. "36, 35, 21."

"I know we can get our second one this time…YAY!" Toadia cheered as the ball stopped on the panel labeled '35.'

"They're going for their third, Toadsy…but we're going for our second. We really need to hurry this up." Zess warned.

"Heh, I'm quite aware…" Toadsworth nodded. "This is quite troublesome, though…"

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married (Faire Square, Streets)**

A worried Wife looked out the window at the still-showering skies.

"Hon, are you sure we're on the right track? We've been by here already…"

"Well, I can't read the map, babe. You have it." Husband answered.

"Right…but there's one problem."

"What's that?"

"The stupid hotel ain't on the map."

"…FRIGGIN' IDIOT!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Faire Square, Streets)**

"Okay…I think we're getting close." Waitress informed Chef Shimi.

"Good! We'll have snagged first case in no time!" Shimi exclaimed. Waitress made no attempt to correct him.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Faire Square, Streets)**

"Okay, we're getting close now…I can feel it." Pungry remarked.

"After our argument on the way to the House-Edge Casino, the rest of the way there was extremely uneasy. We were both on edge…you could just feel the tension in the air." Pungry reminisced. (After-Leg Interview)

"That's great…now if only we were just there already." Pungent stated dryly.

**To & Too: Sisters (Faire Square, Streets)**

"There's another stoplight down that hill…there're an awful lot of stoplights here…more than in Mushroom City." Too remarked dubiously.

"I think there are more in Mushroom City." To responded. Suddenly, the sisters heard a strange sizzling sound.

"Wait…what's that noise?" Too asked.

"…I have no id—the front of our car is smoking!" To screamed. Seconds after the smoking started, the car curved out of control after going through a large puddle!

"OH MY GOSH! LOOK OUT!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (House-Edge Casino, Pachinko Machines)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This is boring. I'm going to go play outside in the maelstrom.)" Smorgo informed.

"SMORGSMORG (I'll join you.)" Smorga hopped in the opposite direction.

Although the arguing Hamma and Flare didn't realize it, Smorgo and Smorga had completed the task and had left the clue envelope. However, instead of going outside or going back to retrieve it…

**Beldam & Queen/ Zess & Toadsworth/ Toodles & Toadia (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

…The Smorg picked a roulette table. Fortunately for them, numbered chips had been provided.

"Who let those delinquents in?" Queen demanded at the croupier.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I don't know."

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME 'MA'AM!'"

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 10th (House-Edge Casino, Pinball Row)**

"It looks like everyone else already passed through or is already here…" Pa-Patch remarked. "Dangit…and we're so far behind!"

"Amigo, calm down! We can get this!" Cortez opened the envelope. "Detour. Spin Out or Fall In… …Gosh, I haven't played roulette ever since I was skin 'n' bones that hundred years back!"

"…Ew." Pa-Patch said.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 5th (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"We're going to the pit stop! Yay!" Toadia cheered. "Come on, Toodles!"

"Coming, darling!" Toodles quickly threw the croupier a tip for some unknown reason before following. Toadia didn't bother to question.

"I bet Luigi would be so proud of me for handling that so well!" Toadia grinned.

"…I bet he would." Toodles said, playing along.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Faire Square, Streets)**

"This can't be happening…" Too sobbed. "We can't make up time now…"

"What should we do?" To asked through her tears.

"We can't do anything except wait…" Too bit her lip.

The two Toad sisters were sitting down on the side of the road in the light rain as a tow truck slowly dragged away their marked car. Although they'd salvaged their bags and weren't hurt, the two were extremely shook up about the situation.

"Well, at least we're safe…that's the good thing…" To sighed, hugging her sister reassuringly.

"Yeah…but…we need to wait for another car…who knows how long that could take? The others might catch up to us by then…" Too murmured worriedly.

"Oh, don't worry about that…we can't help that." To reminded. "The man said there was a malfunction in one of the parts because of the rain…we didn't really have any control."

"Right…"

"That's the reason why I really love my sister…she's always there for me, and whenever I'm down, she can cheer me up and vice-versa…I know we were both scared, but the way she reassured me…it was the most amazing thing in the world." Too commented. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Team ? (Sun & Moon Hotel, Parking Area)**

A marked car pulled into the covered parking zone of the Sun and Moon Hotel, a towering building decorated with four main colors divided into small square tiles that seemed to avoid the opposing tints: regular and pale red, and regular and pale blue. In front of the main doorway were two small statues, one of Brighton, and one of Twila. On the maple door itself was an intricate carving that followed the breaking of the two pieces, one of the sun and the moon that were on the same side as their respective personifications.

"If this isn't it, I have no idea what other place in town could resemble the sun and the moon more!"

Overhearing this comment was none other than the red Yoshi host, Blaise, and the greeters for the second leg, as well as the owners and managers of the hotel: Brighton and Twila, who stood on opposite sides behind the dinosaur.

Within seconds of the remark, a team entered through the front doors of the large hallway. Grinning largely, they made a gigantic leap onto the world map.

"Welcome to the Sun and Moon Hotel!" Brighton and Twila chimed in unison.

"Thanks!"

"Blank you."

Looking at each other in confusion, Brighton and Twila shrugged the statement off.

"Shimi and Waitress." Blaise looked both team members in the eyes, partially freaking them out. "You are…team number one."

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 1st Place, 9:45 A.M.**

"We got first?!" Waitress exclaimed in shock. "Oh, wow! Awesome!"

"You're smoking, right?" Chef Shimi asked Blaise. Upon receiving a dark glare for an answer, Shimi let out an audible 'eep.'

"…By the way…I have some more good news for the both of you…" Blaise continued, "To reward finishing first on this second leg of the race, you've both won an all-expense paid trip to scenic and lush Castaway Bay for two weeks. You'll be experiencing rafting down the famed mountain rapids, learning to dance with the natives, and possibly even be able to spot a UFO…all within walking distance of your log cabin suite, compliments of Mushroom International, which you can enjoy after the race."

"Castaway Bay?! That sounds so COOL!" Waitress shrieked with excitement.

"Indeed! Never have I been so lucky to contain such an amazing vocation!" Shimi grinned widely. Blaise just rolled his eyes, while the two greeters quietly snickered to themselves, leaving a confused Shimi glancing at his partner questioningly.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN LAST (House-Edge Casino, Pinball Row)**

"Detour…we're last, I just know it…" Pungry muttered. "Spin Out or Fall In…okay…"

"I say we Spin Out. Don't trust some dumb ol' pachinko machines with our race fate…I'd rather go with somethin' I'm safe with." Pungent decided.

"You sure? It's luck-based…we at least have control over how we do with Fall In." Pungry stated.

"Well? Make up your mind!" Pungent replied.

"What? …Oh, fine! We'll do Spin Out…" Pungry sighed.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 6th (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"It's about time!" Queen swiped away the envelope from the croupier, who gave an offended look and turned away.

"You should really behave once in a while…or at least once in a blue moon…" Beldam remarked.

"SHUT UP!" Queen ordered, causing an annoyed sigh from Beldam. "Make your way to the next pit stop and blah blah blah…okay."

"That doesn't help at all, you know. Where are we going?"

Beldam seemed to glare at Queen angrily when the crumpled Route Info was shoved into her left hand.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 7th (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"My…that was exhilarating." Toadsworth breathed a sigh of relief as the croupier gave him the clue. "I've never been so on edge…"

"It's part of the game." The supervisor winked.

"Yeah, sure…" Zess said impatiently. "Hurry it up and open the clue!"

"Right…" Toadsworth cleared his throat. "Make your way to the next possible pit stop…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 8th (House Edge Casino, Pachinko Machines)**

"…At the Sun and Moon Hotel. Warning, the last team to check in may be eliminated." Hamma read.

"That won't be us…I'm making sure of it!" Flare stated confidently.

As the brothers rushed out, they ended up knocking the Smorg's envelope out of the machine. Neither seemed to notice, and neither probably would've cared.

"Could you run any slower?"

"Hah! I can run faster than you can!"

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

Smiling happily, the couple hopped, skipped, and jumped onto the mat.

"Welcome to the Sun and Moon Hotel!" Brighton and Twila called out.

"Tell us the news!" exclaimed Wife exuberantly.

"…Husband and Wife." Blaise paused. "You are team number two."

**Husband & Wife: Married- 2nd Place, 9:59 A.M.**

"Two?! Second?!" Husband gaped in shock. "That Fast Forward ended up as a rip-off!"

"Really…well at least we're at the top now." Wife sighed.

"Needless to say, we were both pretty disappointed to end up being only second. After all, we expected the Fast Forward to get us to first…but it probably wouldn't have happened with such a luck-based task, anyway…" Husband explained. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Faire Square, Streets)**

"How many marked cars have passed this way now?"

"Too many."

Still sitting in the rain, the two sisters patiently waited for their replacement car to arrive.

"This is taking forever…" Too moaned. "…Wanna play rock, paper, scissors?"

"Sure!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN 9th (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

Although it seemed unreasonable, the Smorg completed their three rounds and accepted the envelope the croupier gave them.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Is it Christmas already? I didn't buy this guy a present…)" Smorgo sighed. "SMORGSMORG (I guess he'll just have to deal with ice cream pork chops.)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Halloween? I thought it was Mother's Day!)" Smorga squeaked, holding up a card made of dirt and dust.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Happy Valentine's Day!)" Smorgo ate the 'card.'

"They're finished? Geez…if they can do it, we better be able to do it to beat the Punis to the pit stop…" Pa-Patch muttered to himself as the Smorg bounced out of the casino.

"Muy bien! Just one more round to go!" Cortez exclaimed.

"Really! Cool!"

"…They're gonna beat us…" Pungent shook his head. "We should just give up now…face it, we only have one round!"

Pungry ignored Pungent's pessimistic words.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"Welcome to the Sun and Moon Hotel!" Brighton and Twila cried happily.

"Thanks! Hey, is it true that—mf mmf!"

King K. sweatdropped at having to cover Andy's mouth to prevent the question about the rumor from escaping.

Blaise gave the two a strange look before speaking. "Andy and King. You are team number three."

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 3rd Place, 10:09 A.M.**

"Dude, we got third! That rocks!" King exclaimed.

"Yup. Hopefully lucky number three will keep us going in the next leg." Bandy Andy remarked. "By the way…I heard that you guys one time accidentally release magic on the wall of—mmf!"

Brighton and Twila blinked in confusion while King K. laughed nervously and pulled his partner away.

-----

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- CURRENTLY IN 10th (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"YES! OH, THANK GOODNESS! THANK YOU!"

Cortez raised an eyebrow as Pa-Patch exaggeratedly kissed the envelope before he opened it.

"Makeyourwaytothenextpitstopatso-and-soplace! Come on, let's go!" Pa-Patch exclaimed.

"…Right…" Cortez quickly floated behind the Bob-omb.

"Great…we're a shoe-in for last now…" Pungent groaned.

"3, 7, and 33." Pungry told the supervisor, still ignoring Pungent.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Faire Square, Streets)**

"Really, now…we passed it that far back?"

"Yeah…you need to go back in that direction."

"Oh…well, thank you very much." Toodles sighed.

A disappointed Toadia stared down at her feet.

"Sorry, Toodles…but I seriously couldn't find it on the map!" Toadia twiddled her fingers, constantly creating the letter 'L' with her outlines.

"…It's alright…we won't be last, I'm sure of it." Toodles breathed in and out before pushing the gas pedal with her hand.

**To & Too: Sisters (Faire Square, Streets)**

"Finally!"

The relieved sisters dumped their damp backpacks into the trunk of the marked car.

_If a team's car breaks down or becomes inoperable during the course of the race, a replacement vehicle may be given to them. However, no time credit will be given in this unlucky situation._

"Now we're back on the road!" Too cheered.

"Hopefully we won't be pulling in last today." To mused. "Oh well!"

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN LAST (House-Edge Casino, Roulette Tables)**

"Pit stop…hopefully we can make it in time." Pungry said wistfully.

"I'll bet ya a Life Shroom we ain't." Pungent remarked. Pungry ignored him.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"Welcome to the—"

"Yeah, yeah…who cares?!"

Brighton and Twila both gave a small 'hmph' at the Shadow Queen's rudeness.

"Beldam and Queen." Blaise nodded slightly. "You're team number four."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 4th Place, 10:17 A.M.**

"FOURTH?!" Queen repeated in anger. "How despicable of you to give me such a low placing! I hate you Yoshis! Why of all the species in the world, you have got to be the most ridiculous, most repulsive, most…"

For some reason, Queen was actually silenced by a staggeringly menacing glare from Blaise.

"At least we're being consistent…" Beldam murmured. "If we continue making fourth for a few legs, it wouldn't matter at all."

"Yes it would! My reputation is at stake!" Queen sniffed.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

The elated elderly duo made a gigantic leap onto the map.

"Welcome to the Sun and Moon Hotel!" Brighton and Twila both winked.

"My, my…so nice to see you again." Toadsworth hinted towards the cameras as he shook the hands of the two.

"Zess and Toadsworth…" Blaise sighed, visibly swaying the confidence of the two Toads. "You are team number five."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 5th Place, 10:23 A.M.**

"Five? That's not too shabby…" Zess grinned. "But then again, I was kinda worried when we were at the back of the pack from the airport…"

"It just goes to show just what we can come back from…right, Zess?" Toadsworth smiled.

"Oh, of course…" Zess T. giggled.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I wish for a shooting star.)" Smorga remarked as the two rolled into the front hall of the hotel, trailing grime and mud. Brighton and Twila shrieked and ran to grab mops.

"…I guess they weren't kidding when they said they knew their way around…" Blaise muttered, checking his watch.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Look, a Fire Flower!)" Smorgo joked.

"Smorgo and Smorga." Blaise paused. "You're the sixth team to arrive."

The two Smorg sat there, blinking.

"…Um…yeah. However, you two took a marked car that was not your own…for that, you will have to incur a thirty-minute penalty. You two should go stand over there…"

After several seconds of waiting, an impatient Blaise ended up kicking the Smorg off the mat, causing more mess next to the mat, which Brighton and Twila rushed to clean.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"It smells weird in here…" Toadia remarked. "Oh no…that's why."

Flies had started to buzz around the two Smorg, causing the two females to turn their backs to the Smorg.

"Welcome to the Sun and Moon Hotel…" Brighton and Twila greeted tiredly, leaning on each other for support.

"Toodles and Toadia," Blaise stated, "You are team number six."

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- 6th Place, 10:29 A.M.**

"Great…can we leave now?" Toadia asked, pinching the area where her nose would be. Toodles simply took out a can of air freshener, shook it, and sprayed, sending the scent of berries into the hall.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

Panting, the two brothers ran up to the mat.

"Heh, traffic is getting crazy out there…" Flare laughed, pointing out the window.

"Yeah…that's why we're late, bro…" Hamma told Blaise, who shrugged.

"Welcome to the Sun and Moon Hotel!"

"Hamma and Flare. You are team number seven."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 7th Place, 10:37 A.M.**

"Seventh?! Dang…we're slipping! Dude, you better step it up." Hamma accused.

"Me?! What the heck?! Bro, get over yourself!" Flare demanded.

Blaise rolled his eyes as an all-out brawl ensued on the mat.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Did you notice that the smell of car tires disappeared a few minutes ago?)" Smorgo asked.

"SMORGSMORG (Not really…I was too busy plucking my rhododendrons.)" Smorga responded.

**Team ? (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

A marked car parked in the parking area, and a team rushed out. They both energetically ran through the front doors and made a beeline straight for the pit stop mat.

"Welcome to the Sun and Moon Hotel!" Brighton and Twila exclaimed.

"Thanks!" The duo replied in equally perfect unison.

"…To and Too." Blaise started, "You're team number eight."

**To & Too: Sisters- 8th Place, 10:48 A.M.**

"Eighth? Oh, wow…"

The relieved sisters hugged each other…and Blaise, who didn't complain.

"I didn't think we'd still be in it after our car broke down…" To stated in amazement.

"Yeah…but I'm glad we didn't give up, though." Too grinned.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

Blaise looked over at the two Smorg, who were both staring at each other.

"You guys can come on in now." Blaise told them.

However…the two Smorg just sat there.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I'm gonna win this eating contest!)" Smorga announced.

"SMORGSMORG (Whatever! It's clear that I can poke much better than you can!)" Smorgo argued.

When it was clear that the two Smorg weren't moving, the trio waiting at the mat sighed.

**Team ? (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"…Hey, look! It's…it's the Smorg! We may not be last after all!"

With renewed hope, a team rushed towards the mat, while the two Smorg continued staring at each other.

"Welcome to the Sun and Moon Hotel!"

"…Pungry and Pungent." Blaise nodded. "You're team number nine."

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 9th Place, 11:02 A.M.**

"…Yer kiddin…" Pungent gaped.

Pungry smiled in satisfaction.

"I knew we were still in this…" Pungry nudged Pungent, who blushed embarrassedly.

"What I really learned today was to not give up. Pungry was right; my pessimism ended up gettin' us in nearly irreversible trouble. But in the end, I'm glad that we made it through…" Pungent explained through a few slight tears of shame. (After-Leg Interview)

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"Surely, getting lost made us last now…" Pa-Patch sighed. "We can never stop with the navigation problems, can we?"

"Amigo, don't be so hard on yourself…" Cortez comforted.

The two slowly walked/floated towards the mat…

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (There she blows!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (They're getting away! Oh no!)"

Bouncing quickly, the two Smorg landed on top of the mat in time to pounce on a speck of dirt.

"Wait…what're they doing?" Pa-Patch asked in confusion. "Somefin' feels fishy…"

"Smorgo and Smorga. You're team number ten." Blaise announced.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 10th Place, 11:10 A.M.**

"WHAT?! THEY WERE STILL RACING?!" Pa-Patch asked in shock.

"…" Cortez just gaped.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (London bridge fell down!)" Smorga laughed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (My pail of buckets is slow!)"

"Mommy, look! It's those cute little dolls again!"

Blaise, Brighton, Twila, Pa-Patch, and Cortez turned to see the little Toad girl and her mother enter the hotel.

"I want the dollies!"

Laughing, the girl ended up chasing the Smorg around the hallway.

"Stop that, young lady! Come back here!"

"…This is seriously messed up." Cortez spoke at last.

"…Yeah…Pa-Patch and Cortez. As you know, you're unfortunately the last team to arrive." Blaise informed the pair.

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Pirates- Last Place, 11:10 A.M.**

"What of it?" Pa-Patch asked hopefully.

"…I'm…sorry to inform you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Blaise ended ruefully.

"Oh well…" Cortez sighed.

"Geez, they're giving me a headache!" Pa-Patch cried out at the chasing occurring between the Smorg, the little girl, and her mom. Brighton and Twila just watched, giggling uncontrollably.

"Being on the race with Pa-Patch has given me some good insight on how I live…or don't live, really. Anyways…estoy realmente contento haber estado en la carrera. el asunto ..no cómo la vuelta fuera fue. It doesn't make a difference that we didn't win. The experience itself was enough for me." Cortez smiled sadly. (After-Leg Interview)

"It's just sad, really. We got eliminated for a stupid reason…if it weren't for the fact that I'm scared of ghosts, even my own, I would probably have killed myself over this…but as they say, you just have to keep on going. Besides…there's more seas to be conquered. With this newfound confidence we have as an actual team now…I just know that Cortez and I can work as more than just sailin' mates…now we're actually buds." Pa-Patch remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

The light drizzle suddenly started to clear up as the pirates exchanged their good-byes to Blaise before leaving the map. Before they could leave the building, however, they had to jump out of the way to avoid the mad chase going on in the hall.

Finally clearing the nearby clouds, the sunlight penetrated the foggy area of the city, brightening the unusual all-year autumn décor. Although a team had lost their shot at winning the race…they had gained so much knowledge about each other while experiencing the city of Lady Luck…known as Faire Square.

-----

_Leg 2 Special Guest…_

_Now…for the special guest of leg two…none other but the Puni Elder!_

_"QUIET DOWN AND QUIT INTRODUCING ME! I can do it myself…" The Puni Elder sniffed. "Anyways…I don't particularly have a bond with Pungent and Pungry like I do with Punio and Petuni…so I can't say much more than I'm proud of 'em. That's it. Plain and simple. Okay…what was I supposed to do now…oh, yes, that's right. The next leg, the third of the race, occurs at a quite sandy, but wood-covered place…or something like that. I knew I shouldn't make rhymes…_

_So…next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_Married couple Husband and Wife's arguing escalates to an even higher level than before."_

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU GRIM-FACED IMBECILE!"

"LOOK IN THE MIRROR!"

_"Toadsworth and Zess T. get trouble with a tough Detour."_

"This wreaks something awful…" Zess complained. "How are we supposed to do this?"

"There aren't any instructions…I'm afraid I don't know…" Toadsworth stated dismally.

_"And Beldam and the Shadow Queen find themselves hopelessly lost."_

"This is so STUPID!" Beldam angrily crumpled the map up into a tight ball and chunked it as hard as she could into the air, her hands freezing with her icy powers.

_"So, yeah…a pretty conflict-filled third leg…yadda, yadda…what'd you expect?" Puni Elder yawned. "Now, if you'll excuse me…it's time for me to go to sleep…not that I require a nap every day, but…zzzzzzz…"_

-----

Leg 2 Trivia:

- Unlike the Roadblock and Fast Forward for this leg of the race, the Detour was planned in less than 5 minutes after the author reached the point where To & Too obtained the Detour clue. The specific details, such as how many numbers were allowed to be used in roulette, and how many steel balls were needed to pass, were constantly amended in a total count of 3 and 5 times, respectively.

- The pit stop for this leg of the race, the Sun and Moon Hotel, was used in all previous versions and attempts at the MKAR, all of which featured a first leg of the Mario Party 6 Board Tour Part I, which ended at Faire Square.

- This is the first leg in all of the author's AR series to officially introduce/hint at the concept of specialized marked cars for teams.

- The little girl and her mother that made three appearances in this leg sadly have no interesting roots, as they come from the author's head of weirdness, not some ultra-strange, wacky-coincidental incident in real life.

- Brighton made an appearance as the greeter at Clockworks Castle in TTYD Season 1 on the third leg.

- The submission of this leg was done on Halloween. Coincidentally, some decorations in the Faire Square board are an allusion to Halloween, with jack-o-lanterns and other objects related to that nature.

Previous Leg Trivia (Leg 1):

- Unless overlooked by the author, this is the first chapter in which a reviewer made an allusion to a team member's speech in the leg. The only thing close to this was in season one, when a reviewer used quotations to correct a continuity/grammatical/spelling error made by the author.

Previous Race Trivia (TTYD 1):

- All teams that were eliminated, with the exception of Ms. Mowz & Peeka and Vivian & Marilyn, received exactly two comments of regret or pity the chapter of (in the case of Don & Fransesca, the chapter after) their elimination.

- The team that received the most mentions in reviews (which included cheers, relief, and miscellaneous comments) was Flavio and Bobbery, with at least nine various comments that don't include regret or pity. In a tie for second were Merluvlee & Merlee and Jolene & Mush with seven mentions.

- The team that was least covered in total reviews was Ms. Mowz & Peeka, who only received one mention when they got first place. Also, Vivian & Marilyn only received two mentions—both teams received no pity comments, as stated above.

- Koopley & Koops were the latest to start receiving mentions, as their first was in one of the double-digit chapters.

- The only teams not to receive mentions not including pity or regret remarks were the first three eliminated: Flurrie & Doopliss, Punio & Petuni, and Goldbob & Sylvia.

- Out of the final four, Don & Fransesca received hardly any negative comments, as did Koopley & Koops. On the other hand, Jolene & Mush and Merluvlee & Merlee received several 'nay' reviews against them.

-----

Author's Note: Sorry for all the race trivia and stuff…but I just find all of that statistical data so interesting! By the way, I'm not entirely positive if numbers on the previous race trivia are correct…oh well.

I'm so sorry about the elimination…the leg was pre-planned directly after the first was typed up…however, the third isn't…yet. So…who'll be eliminated next? And what kind of surprises will the author be giving to this version of the race (the previous episode's sneak-peak of the sign that looked like an intersection or crossroad will not make an appearance at all in this version once it is aired) once it starts heating up? We have the Yield coming…but something else, too…


	4. Leg 3: Tropical Vacation? Nope!

Author's Note (Update): 11/28/06, 04/10/07 (Added Review Answer)

Warning…the last team to arrive will be elim…oh, never mind…as far as I know, you guys are individual reviewers. This is a pretty long leg…so if you are lazy or can't stand reading long things, skip down to the bottom or wait for the next leg to see this leg's summary. I'm pretty serious; this length is comparable to that of what could be a MKAR leg…but with like only a third of the teams…

Speaking of reviews…

Review Answers: THANK YOU TO ALL REVIEWERS!

**llppoo33**: Lolz, special mentions…I don't know if I should do that in the third season or not in trivia anymore… Yes, yes…once again the Smorg get an ultra-super lucky break…wonder how long it'll last 'em, though. I'll be honest…I probably won't know who I'll want to win until probably the finale or something…

**MasterMario101**: Heheh, yeah…thankz! Andy and King seem to be a favorite…

**Yoshi Hoshi**: Yayness for the teams! …By the way, you are now world-famous for being in trivia due to the new language of Smorg talk…lolz. Heh, anyways…you probably saw that no one except the author/readers understands what the Smorg say, not even the hosts…as for 'Spin Out,' I think I mentioned there being numbered chips for team use in like one sentence, hardly noticeable…I'll be sure to clear up more things like that in better detail. Let's see…next order of business…ah, yes…my new way to hide the double-length leg (since everyone knows it's going to come sooner or later, it's not going to be cut out)…I think it works better than the 'Go find Phil at the mat' thing, too… …Um…I'm not even sure what I usually do about the Mushroom airport thing…that was confusing, now that you mention it. Unless I'm overlooking something, I think I meant that the name of the airport was 'Mushroom International,' and the airlines that some teams used to get flights was 'Mushroom Airlines,' but the name of the flight reverted back to 'Mushroom International…' Thanks for pointing that out; I would've never caught something like that…I think what I was thinking of from the last race was that the airlines itself is known as 'Mushroom International Airlines,' and it's shortened to one of the two whenever it's referred to…sorry about that. …Turning Point? …I just might reveal the other parts in future legs…maybe…just maybe…hopefully…

**Hyrule King**: I like the purely constructive, down-to-earth criticism there. Exactly something I needed; as a matter of fact, it's been something I've just been DYING to see for, like, FOREVER! Heh…well, although it's a tad awkward, I guess I can make some of the changes that you suggested—highlighting the actual relationships between teams, but just a small tidbit: Smorgo and Smorga aren't meant to have a clearly defined relationship; their randomness in early legs was meant to bring out the fact that no one exactly knows who they are or how they entered the race, in fact, I am also undecided on exactly what they are supposed to be. However, I sadly really don't know if I can use my time to go back and change all of the old things back in the later chapters; I apologize, but if you do plan on continuing to read this fic, the earliest you'd be seeing the changes would be in leg eight. Sorry! Oh, and btw, I know I could've always looked for a better cast, but when you plan to use just one game's characters for the basis of what could hopefully turn out to be five stories, it becomes very hard to find decent racers and come up with good names for the nameless. Hopefully, if I ever finish, I can move on to a wider range of characters and relationships within a good boundary—it's something I hope to be able to do in the near future. And lastly…in my opinion, it's about time a female team showed that they can be all-stars; therefore, I sort of want to see either the beauty queens Dustin and Kandice or cousins Charla and Mirna cross the finish line first. It's quite possible, because they've both ran a decent race, despite the ups and downs; they've improved on their previous respective performances, and it's definitely helped.

-----

Loading the Memory Card… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

"Well, man…here we go!"

_Eleven teams of two left from the crowded metropolis of Mushroom City and boarded two different flights to fly over 3,000 miles to the city of fair play, Faire Square. As teams encountered a tricky Roadblock, some members had to retry several times…_

"I'll try it again…" Waitress muttered.

"…Who's going to tell them that I'm the one that did the Roadblock and not Queen?" Beldam asked rhetorically to the air.

…_While others surged ahead on their first go._

"Yeah, first try!" Too cheered.

"YEAH!"

_At the Detour, most teams took their chances with roulette…_

"Darn…"

"Is it really that hard if they're giving up?" Beldam asked, astonished.

"We really need to hurry this up." Zess warned.

…_As others played pachinko to earn their clue._

"Okay…this is harder than it looks." Too murmured nervously.

"Okay…that SUCKED."

_Meanwhile, two teams went for the Fast Forward, and initially had a hard time._

"We're down to like, 20 coins…we aren't doing so well…"

"…No. We're stayin'. We can get it!" Husband said, determined.

_Although they used up most of their money, Husband and Wife eventually received the Fast Forward. But in the end, it wasn't enough to get them in first._

"You are…team number one."

"We got first?!" Waitress exclaimed in shock. "Oh, wow! Awesome!"

"You're smoking, right?" Chef Shimi asked Blaise.

_Problems with a car struck down To and Too._

"What should we do?" To asked through her tears.

"We can't do anything except wait…" Too bit her lip.

_However, it didn't stop their positive attitude toward the race. Ultimately, getting lost resulted in Pa-Patch and Cortez arriving last…_

"…I'm…sorry to inform you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Blaise ended ruefully.

"Oh well…" Cortez sighed.

_…And ended in their being the second team eliminated from the race._

Shimi & Waitress Spin Up Top; Pirates' Luck Runs Out

_Now, ten teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

"This is outer Faire Square. Home to some of the best games of chance, equal opportunity, gambling, and arcade classics, it is world-renowned as one of the best luck-based sites in the world. Sitting close to the outskirts of this autumn-spirited town is the Sun and Moon Hotel. This gigantic lodge, erected in the honor of the truce between the sun and the moon, was the second pit stop in a race around the world.

At the end of the last leg, teams took part in a mandatory rest period that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The ten teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues found in sealed envelopes to make their way to the next pit stop.

Shimi and Waitress, who arrived at 9:45 A.M., will depart at 9:45 P.M."

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 1st TO DEPART, 9:45 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

The city of Faire Square seemed to glow with the air of autumn as the several jack-o-lanterns scattered about were lit, and the front lights of most residential areas were on. As for the Sun and Moon Hotel, the two statues of the celestial objects radiantly glowed with a respective red and blue that spread to the opposite side of the street. Inside, the hallway was lit with small lamps dotted along the walls that glowed softly, along with a larger light that came from a large sun-and-moon-shaped chandelier hanging down from the ceiling.

Yawning, Waitress poked her train earrings and smiled as they jingled. Her other accessories included a purple bracelet on her right hand and a pink watch on her left, both of which matched her pink shirt and purple pants. Chef Shimi, on the other hand, just sat, waiting in his plain dress of a baseball cap, where a small mini-flashlight was attached in preparation for reading a map outside.

The time finally arrived for the two Excess Express co-workers to open their clue. Energetically tearing off the paper, Waitress immediately started reading the Route Info that she pulled out.

"Yay! Okay… 'Drive yourselves back to Downtown Faire Square and locate the Swap Fest. Locate your next clue on one of the standing platforms.' "

_Teams must now backtrack approximately 5 miles to downtown Faire Square, and locate this set atop one of the northernmost buildings—the almost world-famous, mostly fabulous Swap Fest. Notable for its random shuffling of people's possessions, it has the most controversy surrounding it than all of the other games in the downtown area combined. It is here that teams will locate their next clue._

" 'You have 70 Smash coins for this leg of the race.' Alright, let's do it!" Waitress cheered.

"We still have the map to mowtown Faire Square, right?" Shimi asked.

"…Mowtown?" Waitress asked. "…Um, yeah. We have the map of Faire Square."

"It feels great to be in the lead! We're leaving first, and there's no doubt that we worked hard to make it fare! I really didn't kink we'd be able to do it, but we did! Now, we have the confidence that we can make it through more kegs!" Shimi grinned. "…Wait, did I mess up during that? Turn cough the camera! I mean—AARGH!" (After-Leg Interview)

Chef Shimi climbed into the back seat and turned on his flashlight to look at the map while Waitress got in the driver's chair.

"I hope we can go wherever we're going soon…my eyelids are drooping…" Waitress mumbled, emitting another yawn.

**Husband & Wife: Married- 2nd TO DEPART, 9:59 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

While Husband wore a green vest over a black shirt and matching gray pants, Wife had a dark violet shirt and midnight black pants. Both had their signature headgear—Husband with his hat and glasses, and Wife with her bandana and blonde hair in a braid.

" 'You have 70 Smash coins for this leg of the race.' Okay…" Husband held the paper up to the credit card.

"Don't just stand there! You can do that while we're walking, you know." Said Wife roughly.

"Oh, shut yer trap…I'm comin, I'm comin…"

"Right now, both of us are both on edge and sorta stressed out because we came in second the last leg. Mind you, second isn't bad or anything…but we spent so much money on that Fast Forward, only to wind up one behind first!" Wife sighed. "Because we run a store, we're both money-conscious…and with what little we have, we might have some trouble making it through the next leg." (After-Leg Interview)

"Okay, babe…we're headed back to the downtown area…" Husband reminded.

"I know, I know!" Wife answered back as she started the marked car.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Downtown Faire Square, Entrance)**

"Well, we're back…"

Chef Shimi took the brochure map of the area back out as they entered through the gates.

"So we need to find the Swap Fest?" Waitress asked.

"Yeah…and I think I found it on the wrap!" Shimi remarked. He pointed his fin to it.

It took approximately a minute after taking the staircases through the lamp-lit streets to reach the one of the furthest buildings from the entrance, which had the Swap Fest area at the top.

"There they aren't." Shimi said thankfully, not realizing the strange mistake he had stated. The pair walked to the platform that had the set of clues resting on top, and grabbed one.

"That was easy…" Waitress opened the envelope. "Um…what's this? 'Drive yourselves back to Faire Airlines and get on a flight for the region shown in the two pictures included with this clue. Once there, travel by taxi to the Clear-Stone Towers and locate your next clue.' "

_Teams must now drive themselves approximately one mile back to Faire Airlines. Using the two pictures provided to them of a scenic ocean-side view and physical map of the region minus names, teams must figure out that their next destination is Sparkle Bay, a strip of picturesque sea-viewing land approximately 3,804 miles away. Once in the city of Glowflower, teams will need to locate these three monuments in the eastern area—Clear-Stone Towers. Modeled after the famous glittering flowers that Sparkle Bay is known for producing, these three connected spires are made of colored, reflective rocks that make their outer surfaces appear nearly transparent under the sunlight. Here, at the base of these magnificent crystalline structures, teams will find their next clue._

"…Clear-Stone Towers? Where is that?" Waitress asked confusedly.

"I've never heard of 'em before…" Shimi replied. "…Say, maybe we can go to the Internet cafeteria at the airport and research it!"

"…Oh yeah…there was a computer area at Faire Airlines…that's right." Waitress remembered. "Well, we better hurry—it might close."

Running and hopping briskly, Waitress and Shimi rushed off through downtown Faire Square in the direction of the entry gate.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 3rd TO DEPART, 10:09 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"Alright…70's in the card and we're fresh on out!"

"Great!"

The two friends jogged out into the streets before making a turn into the parking garage, dressed in their regular Glitzville looks.

"Neither of us are too concerned of how we're doing yet… We're doing okay, and there's not really any drama circling around us. The other teams are more noticing of each other…which can be both a good and bad thing. Currently we're in the shadows, but if we run into a tight spot, we might be in trouble if no one else notices us." Bandy Andy explained fluidly. (After-Leg Interview)

"'Kay…so what turn do I make?" King K. asked.

"…According to this, it's a right turn to get back to downtown Faire Square."

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"Clear-Stone Towers?" Wife voiced. "Where in the name of the moon is that?"

"…I've never heard of 'em." Husband replied. "Maybe we should try asking around at the airport…or better yet, ask one of the other teams."

"…You really think they'll share information with us?" Wife muttered.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 4th TO DEPART, 10:17 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"Finally, we're leaving! This place is an absolute DUMP!"

The word 'DUMP' echoed through the hallway as the duo, clad in hat and crown respectively, departed the pit stop.

"It's not that bad…" Beldam countered. "As a matter of fact…the design's kinda nice…"

"HAH! That's a laugh, Beldam…you always seem to say the funniest things!" Queen stated sassily, causing Beldam to glare at her.

"If we don't get first place in the third leg…I'M GONNA BE MAD!" confessed the Shadow Queen predictably. (After-Leg Interview)

"I'm tired…" Queen yawned. "I want to take a nap."

"But—"

Much to Beldam's dismay, the air was filled with the slight snoring mixed into the patterned inhales and exhales of a sleeping person. Grumbling, the Shadow Siren reached back and took the map of Faire Square.

"THAT'S MY BLANKET!"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"This place has SO many rumors about it…it'd take me weeks just to name 'em all!" Andy uttered in wonder. "You wouldn't believe the controversy surrounding this thing!"

"…That's nice, man…but I don't think I wanna believe, cool?" King K. turned his eyes back on the clue. "This place went and sounds familiar…"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 5th TO DEPART, 10:23 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

Neither member had changed to a different outfit for the start of this leg.

"You have 70 Smash coins for this leg of the race." Zess concluded. "Well, we're ready now."

"Affirmative! Head out!" Toadsworth exclaimed. The two Toads quickly walked outside and into the parking garage.

"Right now, we're doing better than we ever could have hoped for; we both expected to be in the back half the first two legs." Toadsworth remarked. "However, I'm glad that we've shown such cooperation and care in progressing so nicely from one destination to the next…we haven't had very many problems at all." (After-Leg Interview)

"Downtown Faire Square…I hope we won't have to play another game there." Zess rolled her eyes. "…Even though you were the one that did the Roadblock."

Toadsworth laughed.

-----

Compared to its look in the morning, Faire Airlines appeared very different. Since there was no rain, the lots and streets were dry, and the awnings over each door were void of moisture. Even though there wasn't as much business occurring because of the late-night hours, the lights glowed through the windows, making it obvious that commuters were still about.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Faire Airlines, Computer Center)**

"Okay…so the Clear-Stone Towers are a trio of famous monuments in Glowflower of Sparkle Bay…"

Waitress dutifully scribbled the information down onto a heart-shaped notepad using a purple pencil.

"How should we go about ordering the tickets? There's an option to reserve on the line." Shimi referred to a link at the top of the current website shown on the monitor.

"You mean 'online'?" Waitress asked, receiving a nod from her partner. "…Maybe…it seems like a better idea than wandering around to all the ticket agents…"

"So that's a yes?"

"…Yes."

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- 6th TO DEPART, 10:29 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

Predictably, the teacher/student Toads were the most uniquely dressed. Toodles had on a sparkly pale-blue tank top that matched long black athletic pants with the same pale-blue color running down both pant legs as two stripes on each side. Her normally curly hair was pulled back into two relatively short ponytails at the back of her head. Her accessories included star-shaped earrings, a diamond ring on her left hand, an opal ring on her right hand, a golden bracelet on her left wrist, and a shiny bead necklace. Toadia, on the other hand, had a green and blue color scheme in her clothing that greatly resembled that of her idol, Luigi. Following this theme were several details, such as an L-shaped pin on her shirt, brown boots, and even white gloves that a slight tint of green. In other words, Toadia was basically doing a badly done role-play.

" 'Drive yourselves to Downtown Faire Square and…' " Toodles started.

"Right now we're in sixth…it's better than the eighth we got in the first leg. But still…I know for a fact that we really need to try and push ourselves up to the front, you know? It's bad enough being close to the back…there's so much pressure." Toadia rubbed her head. (After-Leg Interview)

"Alright…we're good to go!" Toadia cheered. She enthusiastically mimicked a Luigi jump, but only reached about half the height that the plumber would probably be able to do.

"Yes, yes…" Toodles quickly ushered her partner into the marked car, which had been sprayed with air freshener to get rid of the Smorg smell from that morning. "…There's still an unnaturally disgusting odor in here…"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"So we need to find a flight to this place with Clear-Stone Towers?" Zess questioned. "Where in the world is that?"

"…I'm sorry to say this, but…beats me." Toadsworth shrugged. "We'll have to research it on a computer."

"Good idea…"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"Hey, the Toads…oh, great."

Beldam pulled her hat over her head as she watched the Toads head down the stairs, and Queen start to turn red.

"YOU IDIOT IMBECILE IDIOTIC STUPIDAZOID WEIRD PURPLE MANLY THING! THEY GOT AHEAD OF US!"

"…Because you used the map as a blanket, and I had to stop and ask for directions, wasting time." Beldam stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

"…STILL, THAT'S NO EXCUSE!" Shadow Queen screeched.

The Shadow Siren sighed.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Faire Airlines, Computer Center)**

After several minutes of searching, Shimi thankfully sighed.

"Okay…here's one flight that'll surely work better than the rest." Chef Shimi stated.

"…Yeah…looks like it." Waitress observed. "That's not a bad arrival time, either. Book it!"

**(Shimi & Waitress- 1st ON FLIGHT ?, Mushroom International 280)**

**Husband & Wife: Married (Faire Airlines)**

"Really…so that's the fastest flight that you know of?" Wife asked.

"Yeah…it only connects once. The other flights have at least two connection points before they land at Glowflower." The ticket agent explained.

"Oh, thank you so much…" Wife shook his hand and walked back over to her husband.

"So…"

"I got us the perfect flight! We just need to go over and get tickets for it!"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 7th TO DEPART, 10:37 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

Miraculously, the Hammer and Fire brothers hadn't received any new bruises or bandages.

"Finally we can get outta here…these accommodations are crappy!" Hamma fumed. "Well, better than the Glitz Pit, but still…CRAPPY!"

"You got that right…" Flare snickered.

"I'll just put it this way for you no-brainers out there," Flare smirked, "seventh sucks. First is the best!" (After-Leg Interview)

Being uncharacteristically calm, the two brothers climbed into their marked car.

"Downtown Faire Square…step on it!"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Faire Airlines)**

"All right…that'll work!"

**(Andy & King- 1st ON FLIGHT ?, Tropical Wings 39)**

"Thanks a lot, man!" King K. showed his gratitude to the ticket agent by tipping his sunglasses at her. She swooned.

"Oh my gosh, what a hottie…"

Bandy Andy laughed as the agent fainted.

"…You sure have a strange way with the ladies, King K."

**Husband & Wife: Married (Faire Airlines)**

"I really hope that this flight is the best one…you sure I can trust ya?" Husband questioned, but was met with a glare.

"Of course I'm sure! If that guy was wrong…well, I don't know what I'd do." Wife rolled her eyes.

**(Husband & Wife- 1st ON FLIGHT ?, Cloud Flyers 311)**

"Well, I know what I'm going to do…" Husband said slyly, pulling Wife in for a hug. She gave a 'hmph' and pushed him away, her lip curled.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"Clear-Stone Towers…oh, I remember that place!" Toodles reminisced joyfully. "It was on a class trip when I was in high school…"

"What city is it in?" Toadia asked curiously.

"Glowflower…it is a very pretty tropical paradise looking over the sea. The area surrounding it has the most fantastic view; you wouldn't ever believe it…"

Toadia tried unsuccessfully to snap her partner back into reality by snapping her fingers in front of Toodles' star-filled eyes.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- 8th TO DEPART, 10:48 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

The two Toads were dressed in matching outfits that had their red and pink hair colors, respectively—shirts with blue jackets and jeans.

"Swap Fest! Oh wow, that sounds like some kind of festive party place or something!" Too laughed.

"Yeah, it does!" To agreed. "I wonder why we didn't go there this morning if we went to Downtown Faire Square…"

"Our traveling hunger wasn't extinguished when we had that car mishap this morning. We're still ready to go, and energized more than ever to do it!" To exclaimed. (After-Leg Interview)

The two girls cheerfully got in their marked car, which was only missing the photograph on the windshield.

"Swap Fest, here we come!" cheered the two sisters in unison.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Faire Airlines, Computer Center)**

**(Zess & Toadsworth- 2nd ON FLIGHT ?, Mushroom International 280)**

"I'm so glad we found this Internet café so quickly, or else we might not have made it in time to catch this flight." Toadsworth sighed.

"Indeed, Toadsy…" Zess murmured. "So, what do we do now until the flight departs…we have quite a while to wait."

"I could do with a spot of food…how about a near-midnight snack?" Toadsworth asked.

"I'd love that…we just have to spend carefully and get something tasty for a low cost." Zess answered.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Faire Airlines)**

"That's good…so hopefully, we'll get into Glowflower first…" Beldam sighed, wiping her forehead as the tickets printed.

**(Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 3rd ON FLIGHT ?, Mushroom International 280)**

"UNHAND ME, YOU DIRTY PEASANTS!"

The Shadow Queen slapped the security guards away as she hungrily slurped a fruit smoothie.

"I DIDN'T PAY FOR THIS, SO YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO ARREST ME!"

Beldam sweatdropped.

"I swear, she has got to be the most rotten, stupid, idiotic…oh, never mind…" Beldam trailed off as she realized that her words were being recorded. "She'll probably fry me for this later when she hears it…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"Clear-Stone Towers…sounds dumb." Flare remarked.

"Yeah, whatever…let's just get to the airport and get this over with so we can get some sleep…" Hamma yawned.

"Sure…just quite whining, will ya?"

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"There aren't very many clues left here…oh well!" Too shrugged as she closed the clue box. "Where are we going?"

"…A place with the…Clear-Stone Towers?! Ooh, I know where that is! Sparkle Bay!" To squealed.

"Oh, that's right! We went on vacation there once, didn't we?" Too asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" To replied. "Man, we're going to have such an advantage! Let's go to the airport!"

"Whenever you revisit someplace you've been before, you always have this weird feeling inside of you…there's always a feeling of some kind. It's great to just soak in and see what's changed…that's why we were both so psyched about going back to Sparkle Bay!" Too explained. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Faire Airlines)**

"That sounds good…thank you." Toodles answered.

"Very well…"

**(Toodles & Toadia- 1st ON FLIGHT ?, World Flyer 354)**

"I hope this flight is the earliest one…" Toadia crossed her fingers as the tickets printed.

"It should be…I checked." The ticket agent replied.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 9th TO DEPART, 11:02 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

Neither of the Punis had changed their attire.

"Downtown Faire Square, pronto!" Pungry exclaimed.

"Hold yer horses, I need to take a breather!" Pungent quickly breathed deeply before getting off the mat.

"Right now our main focus is building trust between each other again…last leg was a complete mess between the both of us, so we're both on edge on how we treat each other and get treated. Personally, I hope to erase all of that from both of our minds so we can concentrate on the task ahead of us." Pungry commented. (After-Leg Interview)

"Strangely enough, I remember seeing one of these Swap Fest ads in a catalog when I got meh merchandise…" Pungent remarked dryly. "Supposed to be world-famous…but sounded like a bummer to me!"

"We'll just have to see…" Pungry sighed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- LAST TO DEPART, 11:10 P.M. (Sun & Moon Hotel, Front Hall)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Your karma is unzipped!)" Smorgo remarked on Smorga's new moon-shaped headpiece.

"Hey, give that back!" Twila cried out, reaching for her wand.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (EEK! My library book is overdue!)" Smorga shrieked, hopping out of the way as Twila crashed onto the floor.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Gummy worms taste just like mineral deposits mixed with fruit juice and poppy seeds…the perfect midnight snack for a noon meal.)" Smorga stated, rolling around like a tumbleweed. (After-Leg Interview)

Twila sighed as she picked up her wand.

"I'm glad those two are gone…we're going to have to hire some kind of stench crew to get rid of that smell in their room." Brighton remarked.

"Don't call just yet…" Twila groaned as the smash of a car against another was heard.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Faire Airlines)**

"Awesome…1:35 departure sounds good to me." Flare gave the agent a thumbs-up.

**(Hamma & Flare- 2nd ON FLIGHT ?, Tropical Wings 39)**

"Now can we go to sleep?" Hamma asked drowsily, a sleep bubble partly through his nose.

"Not yet…we still have to go to the…terminal…"

The brothers toppled onto each other in a light slumber.

**To & Too: Sisters (Faire Airlines)**

"I wonder what's wrong with these two…" To murmured.

"No idea…but I think they're going to be on the same flight as us." Too observed. "They look like they were leaving the counter…"

**(To & Too- 3rd ON FLIGHT ?, Tropical Wings 39)**

"Um…sweet dreams, guys." To stated, stepping over the brothers.

"…Yeah…" Too smirked mischievously as she lightly nudged Flare with her foot, instantly waking him up.

"WHAT'D YOU SMACK ME FOR, PUNK?!" Flare shouted, shoving Hamma awake.

"WHAT?! I didn't hit you, you idiot! You just hit me!"

"Liar!"

Too giggled, while To just shook her head, smiling. The two Toads walked off in the direction of the terminal as one of the famous brother-squabble clouds formed in front of the counter.

----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"I have no idea where this place is…hopefully we can find a flight for it…" Pungry mumbled.

"We better…in that case, we gotta split before those trouble-makin' Smorgs get here and wreak somethin' awful!" Pungent pushed his partner away, who eagerly obliged.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN LAST (Downtown Faire Square, Swap Fest)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (TACO CHOP SOY!)" Smorgo exclaimed, engulfing the clue envelope.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (You ruined the bedtime story!)" Smorga cried. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (Big meanie…)"

As the Smorg left the scene, a broom flew out from one of the houses and nearly whacked them for absolutely no apparent reason at all.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Faire Airlines)**

"Hopefully this is the best flight…" Pungry sighed as the tickets printed.

"Should be…the way things 'er lookin', we're gonna need a lotta help to get to the pit stop with a formidable lead!" Pungent remarked.

**(Pungry & Pungent- 2nd ON FLIGHT ?, World Flyer 354)**

"Think we should try looking for others somewhere else?" Pungry asked.

"Nah…"

-----

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (KITTY!)"

The two Smorg bounced into the luggage compartment just as the workers closed it.

"Something stinks…"

**(Tropical Wings 39, FLIGHT 1- DEPARTING AT 1:35 A.M.)**

The homeboys could be seen drowsily talking to the energetic sisters who were a seat behind them, while the two brothers slept two rows back.

_This is the first of four flights heading for Glowflower. Aboard as passengers are homeboys Andy and King, sisters To and Too, and brothers Hamma and Flare. On board as unknowing stowaways are things Smorgo and Smorga._

-----

**(Cloud Flyers 311, FLIGHT 2- DEPARTING AT 2:00 A.M.)**

Although it appeared unusual, the two members of the team were leaning against each other in a peaceful slumber.

_This is the second flight departing for Glowflower. The sole team on the plane is married couple Husband and Wife._

-----

**(Mushroom International 280, FLIGHT 3- DEPARTING AT 3:45 A.M.)**

While the Shadow Queen incessantly bugged the stewardesses on the flight about the 'bland' flavor of their water, Beldam quietly talked with Zess T., while Toadsworth dozed off. Somehow, Chef Shimi and Waitress seemed to have enough energy to aid the crew in serving the surprisingly large amount of passengers on the plane that were still awake, presumably for extra money.

_This is the third flight departing for Glowflower. On it are shadow folk Beldam and Queen, express workers Shimi and Waitress, and possibly dating couple Zess and Toadsworth._

-----

**(World Flyer 354, FLIGHT 4- DEPARTING AT 4:50 A.M.)**

Even though the Toads had earphones on, both teams aboard the plane were asleep.

_This is the last of four flights leaving for Glowflower of Sparkle Bay. On this flight are teacher and student Toodles and Toadia and best friends Pungry and Pungent. _

-----

The sun was already relatively high in the sky above the tropical stretch of land. Several palm trees swayed in the warm ocean breeze, and several sea gulls soared over the wooden houses of Glowflower. Even Glowflower Airport, which was painted with a sandy tan color, had a beach-like feel to it, despite the fact that the land surrounding it was grass, and it was somewhat far from the actual ocean in comparison to other buildings.

One of the four flights landed on the airstrip…it had a cloud zigzagging across both sides. Ironically, the paint job seemed to mirror the skies above it.

**(Cloud Flyers 311- ARRIVING AT 10:08 A.M.)**

"Okay…we're done! Come on!"

**Husband & Wife: Married (Glowflower Airport, Customs)**

Running through the airport, Husband and Wife looked for an exit.

"The clue didn't mention anything about marked cars, right?" Wife asked.

"…No. We're supposed to take a taxi." Husband responded.

"Good! There's the taxi pick-up area!"

Launching through the doors, the married couple promptly picked a taxi, asked the Shy Guy if he knew where Clear-Stone Towers was, and got into the vehicle.

**(Tropical Wings 39- ARRIVING AT 10:20 A.M.)**

**To & Too: Sisters (Glowflower Airport, Taxi Pick-Up)**

"You know where Clear-Stone Towers is, right?" Too asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I do."

"Awesome!" To cheered. The girls deposited their backpacks into the trunk.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Glowflower Airport, Taxi Pick-Up)**

"You gotta hurry, man…we got these major bummers on our tail and we need ta get there before 'em!" King urged.

"Sure thing!" replied the high-pitched voice of the driver.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Glowflower Airport, Taxi Pick-Up)**

"Man, everyone beat us out! I knew we should've risked trading seats with those stupid blind people up there…" Flare pounded his fist on the seat in front of him.

"Tch. Are you kiddin'? Those seats looked friggin' hard…" Hamma rolled his eyes.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Glowflower, Streets)**

Having wandered away from the airport, the two Smorg were playing hopscotch on a sidewalk.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I don't get it…how do you use this strange contraption?)" Smorga questioned a nearby billboard.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Like this!)" Smorgo replied, smudging the lines by rolling over them.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Oh.)"

Smorgo and Smorga rolled away as a light breeze ran through the area.

-----

Reflecting off the sparkling stones of Clear-Stone Towers, the sunlight seemed to be mirrored on the surface of the carefully crafted gems. There were three towers, each within about thirty feet of the other two—a ruby red one, a ocean blue one, and a pure purple one. At the base of each one was a small patch of flowers—the hue on each and every petal seemed to match that of its respective tower, making them look like they were small stones that had broken off and re-grown in the ground.

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

The taxi of the Twilight Town citizens screeched to a halt in front of the base of the blue tower. Inside, the duo shielded their eyes.

"GEEZ! That reflection is so bright, I'm gonna need eye replacements…they're burnin'!" Husband remarked as the two stepped out of the cab and headed towards the box.

"Forget eye replacements…" Wife grimaced back as she groped for the clue box, which stood in the very center of the triangle formed by the three towers. "Alright…let's see…" Wife quickly handed a map and a green card from the envelope to Husband before reading. " 'Make your way by marked car to the Glowflower beach docks, and pick up one of the marked Mystery boxes, which you may not open until noted otherwise. Then, make your way to the city of Harborside Cabana and locate the coconutball courts. Both team members must play the game and successfully break their coconuts to receive the next clue.' "

_Teams must now hop into one of the nearby marked cars and cruise through Glowflower to find the wooden pier that juts out from the beach, where they will have to retrieve one of these modified Mystery boxes. After doing so, they must drive approximately 21 miles through the roads overlooking the ocean until they reach Harborside Cabana, a city famous for its main building structure of wood, grass, leaves, and hardened mud. Once there, teams will have to locate these coconutball courts on the edge of the town, and engage in the activity in order to break the coconuts—attaching them to strings on poles, and hitting them with a wooden club until they break. After both team members have done so, they will receive their next clue._

"…Warning…there's a Yield ahead!" Wife gasped. "A real YIELD?! Awesome!"

"Beach docks…here we go." Husband stated, pointing out the labeled area on the map.

"…That doesn't look far from here…good. …Where are the marked cars?"

"…I see them…" Husband pointed past the towers across the street to several occupied parking spaces.

"Alright!"

Quickly throwing the taxi driver his fare, the married duo made a run for the marked cars. They were able to quickly find their car and drive off.

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

"Oh my gosh, that is so pretty!" Too exclaimed as the taxi approached the trio of towers.

As soon as the taxi stopped, the sisters paid the driver. To then stepped out and took a picture using a camera, one she'd been using since the race started.

"This'll look great in the scrapbook…" To murmured, giggling.

"…There's a lot of information in this clue…" Too observed, her eyes briefly skimming the Route Info. "…Okay, there should be marked cars nearby…and we're to make our way to a place called…Harborside Cabana?"

"Anything else?" To asked, looking over her sister's shoulder.

"Um…okay, we need to pick up a Mystery at the pier." Too announced.

"A Mystery? Aren't those the things that they use in battle that do something random?" To questioned.

"Yeah, I think so…" Too scratched her head. "But we're not supposed to open them…I guess we'll find out soon enough! We really should hurry…there's also a Yield ahead."

Giggling softly to themselves, the Toads quickly skimmed the pictures on front of the marked cars. After finding theirs, they jumped in and headed out.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

"Glowflower beach docks? Are you serious? This place is so bright, it's a drag…why can't we just leave for this cabana place now?" Hamma whined.

"Oh, shut up…just get in the car…" Flare pushed his brother in the direction of the marked cars. For once, there was no retaliation.

"Great…here comes the Minor league crew…" Hamma noted, breaking into a jog as another taxi approached.

"Tch. They aren't minors here!" Flare remarked, scrambling into the driver's seat.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

"It's the brothers…" Andy muttered as the taxi stopped in front of the towers.

"That ain't cool…thought we left the airfield ahead of 'em." King K. mused. "Looks like we'll be racing 'em to wherever we're goin'…"

Walking briskly to the clue box, Bandy Andy pulled out an envelope just as the car of the brothers backed up.

"We're headed to the docks first to pick up a…Mystery…" Andy made a weird hand gesture as he said this, causing King K. to smirk.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Glowflower, Outdoor Shops)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This camera has no flash in its CPU!)"

"Get away from my merchandise, you freaks!"

The Smorg lazily rolled away from a knocked-over fruit stand with several types of fresh fruit attached to their bodies. The other shop owners tried to help the owner with his falling-apart stand, but ultimately failed as the wood buckled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (The sands of time are over there!)" Smorga screeched, rolling in the direction of the beach.

-----

Glowflower Beach appeared as simple and ordinary as a regular beach could get—a wooden pier jutting out from the land, carts selling summer delicacies, such as ice cream, stationed about, and people enjoying themselves in the refreshing waters and on the warm sand. Noticeable at the entrance to the berth was a pyramid of ten Mystery boxes that were decorated in the race design—a red stripe going around a yellow background.

Close to the area where the grass stopped and the sand started was an overcrowded parking lot. Here, the first marked car stopped in front of the path.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Glowflower, Beach Pier)**

"Don't waste any time, dear!"

"I know! Just don't worry your head!"

An irritated Husband jogged down the slight slope towards the pier and scooped up a Mystery. He raced back to the marked car just as quickly, and in no time at all, Wife drove the vehicle out.

"It's a lot of trouble when you see her making decisions or yelling…one minute, she's all girly, and the next, she's as manly as a bull charging a red cape." Husband straightened his glasses, sighing. "My wife is heavily unpredictable…I never know what kind of insult I'll have to deal with next…" (After-Leg Interview)

**To & Too: Sisters (Glowflower, Beach Pier)**

"These look kinda weird compared to the other Mysteries we saw in those shops back home, don't they…"

After making some comments on how the modified Mystery boxes looked, the two traveling sisters picked one up, brought it back to their marked car, and were off.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Glowflower, Beach Pier)**

"This has got to be the tackiest-looking piece of crap I've ever had in my hands…" Flare muttered as he toted a Mystery back to the vehicle under his arm.

"Will you hurry your butt up back in here?" Hamma yelled impatiently.

"Fine…" Flare slammed the driver's door shut, chucked the box at his brother's face, and stomped on the gas pedal.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Glowflower, Beach Pier)**

"'Kay…got the box…now where we off to?" King K. asked.

"…Um…" Andy checked the clue. "…Ah. We're supposed to drive ourselves to a city called 'Harborside Cabana' or something…"

"I'll drive if you get me there."

-----

**(Mushroom International 280- ARRIVING AT 11:04 A.M.)**

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Glowflower Airport, Taxi Pick-Up)**

"Just go! Please, hurry!" Waitress urged from the back seat. "We're in a real rush!"

"A real rad tush, if you know what I've seen." Shimi added, trying to be helpful. The driver had to stifle a giggle, while Waitress just slapped her forehead.

"Shimi…what in the world are you talking about?" Waitress questioned, her voice turning really high-pitched.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Glowflower Airport, Taxi Pick-Up)**

"URGH! You're so slow, you impudent peon!"

The Shadow Queen crossed her arms as she sat in the taxi, waiting impatiently for a struggling Beldam.

"May I ask what the heck you loaded into your luggage before we got out of the airport?" Beldam screeched as she heaved a large bag into the trunk.

"Just a few souvenirs from the plane with our money…" Queen replied nonchalantly.

"…SOUVENIRS?! We can't waste our money on stupid souvenirs!" Beldam berated.

"Shut up…you're giving me an absolute headache…" Queen whined, stroking her pink hair. This caused Beldam to exasperatedly scream even louder.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Glowflower Airport, Taxi Pick-Up)**

"Clear-Stone Towers, please…" Toadsworth requested. The driver nodded, and drove out of the loading area.

"We're the last out, aren't we…" Zess T. sighed.

"Yes…but we can catch up. That dreadful Shadow Queen and her rather nice accomplice Beldam weren't too far ahead of us out of the plane."

"Oh, right…well…at least I can be in last with my lil' Toadsy-toes!" Zess T. giggled childishly. However, Toadsworth turned away, embarrassed, as a rather large streak of crimson crossed his face.

"…I-I beg your p-pardon?"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

Needless to say, the two Smorg were still clueless about what they were doing.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Pretty bird! Pretty bird!)" Smorgo jumped on top of the clue box.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Mommy, don't steal my candy!)" Smorga whined, knocking Smorgo off. As the two Smorg fell, it became apparent that two envelopes had gotten stuck to Smorgo.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Look! The purchase of the river downtown brought us the way home!)" Smorgo exclaimed, as he ripped open the two envelopes somehow.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (REALLY?! Wow!)" Smorga chirped.

Bouncing towards the marked cars, the two Smorg stopped in mid-hop to stare at the towers, as if they hadn't seen them when approaching the clue box.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Sparkle Bay, Highway 204)**

"I wonder if we're in first right now…" Too murmured. "Weren't we first out of the airport?"

"Yeah…" To confirmed. "But maybe the boys already passed us."

"…Nope!" Too responded, looking at the rear-view mirror. "Here comes one of them now…but I can't tell who it is."

To looked back.

"…Oh, it's just the brothers."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Sparkle Bay, Highway 204)**

"Wait…who the heck is that in front of us? Is that the minors?" Hamma squinted.

"No…doesn't look like them…that looks like…a Toad hat!" Flare said in disgust. "That's gotta be the sisters!"

"Well, pass 'em! They might try to Yield us!" Hamma urged.

"We don't exactly have anything against the minors except the fact that they're competition. I REALLY hate to admit this…but although we got the brawn, they got the brains. Even with our fitness, they still beat us to the pit stop in leg one. That makes us sorta concerned…so that's why we aren't exactly friends with 'em." Hamma explained. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Beldam & Queen / Shimi & Waitress- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

Darting from their respective taxis, the two teams rushed to the clue box in the center of the trio of towers. Using the shadows to their advantage gave Beldam and Queen the upper hand, as they got there first.

"…Something about the docks!" Queen paraphrased. "Come on, hurry up you slowpoke!"

On their way to the marked car, Beldam nearly tripped over Smorga. Queen slapped Smorgo away.

"Stupid things!" Beldam cried in repulsion.

"It looks like we're beheaded off to the docks to pick up a Mystery…" Shimi informed his partner. "…Oh, and there's a Wield ahead!"

"A what?" Waitress asked in confusion.

"A Wield!" Shimi sputtered.

"…A…Wield?" Waitress pulled the Route Info over. "…A Yield, Shimi…a Yield."

"…Oops, that's what I meant…musta read it right…" Shimi chuckled, causing Waitress to shake her head in sympathy.

Before the express workers even got into their car, the two purple beings were off.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

"…and then we need to go to Harborside Cabana with the Mystery, and play coconutball." Toadsworth explained. "But there's also a Yield there, so we should hurry."

"Oh, who in their right mind would Yield us?" Zess laughed, rolling her eyes. "They'd just be wasting it."

"Quite…" Toadsworth chortled slightly. "Well, we should make haste."

The Toads hurried across the road to their marked car.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I like peanut butter and mustard sandwiches!)" Smorga announced.

The two Smorg sat in their car and watched as the Toads drove away before Smorgo started to mess around with the steering wheel and gas pedal, which were both right in front of him.

-----

A marked car pulled up close to the boardwalk.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Glowflower, Beach Pier)**

It didn't take very long for Waitress to grab a Mystery and run back to the marked car.

"Where are we going again?" Shimi asked curiously, his fins tightly gripping the wheel.

"Harborside Cabana." Waitress replied. "Don't worry; I've got the map…okay, we're going to first need to get North Sandy Road…"

"Got it."

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Glowflower, Commercial Docks)**

The marked car of the Shadow Siren and former world-conquer attempter came to a stop on the side of a road.

"That looks like the right one…" Beldam murmured, getting out of the car. "Are you sure this is the right one, though? …I don't see any Mystery boxes…"

"Dearie, that's just the Mystery about it all." Queen responded, imitating Beldam's speech.

"…This doesn't look right…" Beldam muttered, floating towards the dock. "…There aren't any Mysteries around here…"

"Get to searching…I have a mirror to admire myself in." Queen remarked, moving her hair out of her face.

Beldam looked around in disbelief, and threw her arms up in frustration.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Glowflower, Beach Pier)**

Walking quickly, Zess T. brought the Mystery from the very small stack.

"I have it, Toadsy!" Zess cheered, jumping into the passenger's seat.

"That's wonderful!" Toadsworth congratulated. "Now we need to go to Harborside Cabana…could you locate it?"

"Found it." Zess said happily, allowing Toadsworth to pull out of the lot.

"When I was younger, and I traveled around a lot, I used maps all the time. That's why I feel useful…no navigation problems for us if I'm the one with the directions." Zess T. winked. (After-Leg Interview)

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Glowflower, Beach Pier)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I spy with my little three eyes something teal!)" Smorgo exclaimed, noting the departing blue marked car of the Toads.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Ooh…that's an ugly fruit!)" Smorga jumped out the window, and attacked a Mystery by ramming into it from behind. Somehow, by some freaky stroke of luck, the Mystery bounced off the ground and flew back into the very window that Smorga had jumped out of.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Yay!)" Smorgo cheered as bird droppings landed on the windshield.

-----

Three roads from all main cardinal directions connected at a broad town called Harborside Cabana. From above, it looked littered with brown dots—each and every single building in the town was constructed from wood, clay, grass, leaves, and stone; all roofs were composed of large brown material from any of those choices. At the southern edge of the city was a large, sandy field enclosed by rock walls, with several timekeeper boards and stands littered about inside. Scattered here and there within the field were 8-foot metal poles, each with a string and hook attached to the top. A large sign in front of the entrance was labeled, "Coconutball Courts."

**Husband & Wife: Married (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

The marked car of the Twilight citizens nearly jumped over the sidewalk as it halted to a shaky stop in a parking spot. Leaping out of the vehicle with only a travel pack on, the married couple settled in front of the Yield mat, which was right next to a Squeek blocking the way in.

_This is the first of three Yields located on the race. At this point, one team can Yield another team by forcing them to stop racing for a pre-determined amount of time. However, each team can only exercise their Yielding power once during the entire race. If a team finds they've been Yielded, they must flip over this hourglass. When all the sand runs to the bottom, that team may continue on._

"Well, we don't really have anyone we want to Yield…and I don't want my conscience botherin' me in the morn'…" Husband started. "We choose not to use the Yield."

"That's right…" Wife nodded.

After pulling off a yellow tag with the number one on it, as well as their picture from the box, the couple stepped in front of the supervisor at the entrance.

"Great…finally the first couple." The Squeek sighed with relief and wiped his brow. "Okay…first, both of you need to grab one coconut each and two wooden clubs from the carts inside. After that, just pick any two poles near each other, and get one of the other guys inside to help you attach the coconut to your hooks. Then, just basically knock that thing silly 'til it breaks!"

Partially astonished, Husband and Wife looked at each other in surprise.

"That sounds like a piñata that's bein' tetherballed for its candy…but for us, it's the clue." Husband remarked skeptically.

"I guess we just see…"

Heading through the arc, the couple followed the instructions of the Squeek; they both grabbed a coconut and a club each before grabbing the two closest poles. It didn't take too long for a Toad inside to attach both of their coconuts using the hook.

"You two are good to go…just pop 'em til they smash open!" The Toad exclaimed.

"Well, I'm just going to imagine that this coconut is my spouse's head…" Wife muttered to herself.

"She makes me so mad sometimes…this is something where I see her face on my target…" Husband murmured.

Not overhearing each other's nasty, yet comical remarks, the married couple took to banging the coconuts as hard as they could with the clubs.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Glowflower, Streets)**

Wandering around aimlessly, Beldam left the car at a gentle cruising speed as she drove through the streets.

"Excuse me, but can someone please help me!" Beldam cried. "I really need some help—we're lost and we need to get to the pier!"

"Couldn't you just quit irritating my ears and follow the coastline?" Queen asked irritably.

"NO!" Beldam snapped. "I can't do that because the road's view is blocked by trees and stuff!"

"That's not what I meant, you imbecile. Drive the car on the sand."

"…But I'd run people over."

"…That's the whole point, stupid! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Beldam slapped her forehead.

-----

**To & Too / Hamma & Flare (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

Dashing out of their marked car, the sisters jumped onto the Yield mat directly in front of the brothers.

"Please don't Yield us…please don't Yield us…please don't Yield us…" Hamma whispered, causing the girls to giggle.

"Um…we choose…" To trailed off, causing Hamma to sweat. "…not to use the Yield."

"We don't really feel like we should have to stop another team using the Yield…that's no fun and no fair." Too explained. "And anyways…Hamma and Flare are kinda cute…even though we don't have an alliance or anything with them, we'd like to help them out just as much as anyone else." (After-Leg Interview)

"Bro, you're an idiot…" Flare rolled his eyes and got on the mat as the Toads got off. "There's no point in us Yielding anyone right now…although I'd like to do it to the minor-leaguers…they'd probably kick our butts for it later. So…no Yield."

As the two teams congregated in front of the Squeek, he jumped into his rather short explanation of how to obtain the clue.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"Come on, Wife! Hurry it up! There are teams behind us!" Husband glanced furtively at the entrance as the sisters and brothers jogged in.

"I'm trying, honey!" Wife shouted back, giving the coconut another strong hit.

"Oh, wow…" Too voiced. "Look at this humongous field…"

"It sorta smells in here…" Hamma complained, grabbing a coconut and a club.

At that moment, Wife broke the coconut open, causing its milk to spray in the direction it flew in—some of it landed on Husband, who didn't seem to notice. He was just elated to receive the envelope, which was wrapped in a plastic bag.

"Great job, babe! Come on!"

While the other two teams had Toads pin their coconuts onto the string, the married couple ran outside to their marked car, where they opened the clue.

"Detour. Anchovy or Anchor."

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have a choice between two industries commonly performed as the city's leading tasks. The choice—Anchovy or Anchor. In Anchovy, teams will need to drive themselves 7 miles across town to this packaging factory, The Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop, where they'll have to present their Mystery to a worker to gain entry. Inside, they must choose one of the many conveyor belts loaded with anchovies, and use funnels and a length chart to package 10 cans of small fish, 8 cans of medium, and 8 of large—a total of 26 cans to be filled. After calling over a supervisor to ensure that they've sorted the anchovies correctly, they will be allowed to put the lids on, at which point they'll receive their next clue. In Anchor, teams have to drive 12 miles to the far end of town to this marked loading dock, show the Mystery to a worker, and pick out a motorboat to pilot out to sea approximately ¼ of a mile to one of these ships, anchored in the bay. Upon arriving, teams will have to heave up an anchor, as well as drop another to prevent the ship from drifting. After doing so, they will need to take the anchor they pulled up back to shore where they'll receive their next clue. When choosing their Detour option, teams will need to be very careful—unless they want to have to drive all the way back to Glowflower to pick up another Mystery, they won't be able to switch tasks, as the Mystery is used in giving the length chart and funnels in Anchovy and the lever for the crank, as well as the heavy object to be dropped in Anchor._

" 'Are you suited for feeding the ship workers or doing their work? Warning: Once you begin a task, you won't be able to switch. Do not open your Mystery until instructed.' " Wife concluded.

"Sounds like a weird thing to do…replacing anchors…" Husband mused, reading over the instructions. "But then again…I don't wanna smell like fish when I'm asleep…"

"So…what'll it be?" Wife asked.

"Eh…it's a risk, but I'll rather be heavin' that anchor insteada gettin' some horrid odor for the rest of the day…for cryin' out loud, we distribute products, not make 'em!" Husband deducted.

"I'm with you on that!" Wife agreed. The two jumped into their marked car and sped off towards the far pier on the other side of town.

Meanwhile…

"That was easy." Hamma remarked. To and Too just looked at each other, shrugged, and continued smacking their coconuts.

"Oh shut up…" Flare rolled his eyes.

Partially impressed that the brothers had broken their coconuts with one and two hits, respectively, the race official produced a clue from his fanny pack.

"Hurry up and read it…the grim-faced people just left, and we might catch up." Hamma urged as they walked back to the marked car.

"I will if you shut up first." Flare growled. "…Detour. Anchovy or Anchor. 'Are you suited for feeding the ship workers or doing their work?' "

"What the heck? Let me see that…" Hamma briefly glanced at the folder's contents. "Okay…we should obviously do Anchor. We can pull that thing up easy!"

"You're right about that…let's move it!" Flare agreed hastily, starting the car.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"We choose not to use the Yield." Andy declared. After listening to the Squeek's speech, they ran in, followed his instructions, and started getting set up.

"I feel like a little kid at a party, and I'm the one hitting the piñata…" To laughed, then squealed as her coconut broke under her next smash.

"Aww…I wanted to get it first…" Too whined playfully.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Glowflower, Streets)**

"Okay…we're lost…just great." Beldam groaned. "Are you going to try and direct me to the right place or not?!"

"How 'bout I don't and say I did?" Queen replied smartly, brushing her hair back as she looked at her hands.

"Madam, come on! I can't find the stupid beach dock if I'm trying to look at the map while I'm driving!" Beldam shouted.

"Quit yer griping and drive, stupid."

Beldam slammed her fists on the steering wheel, causing a loud honk to emit from the marked car.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Glowflower, Streets)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Polka-dot go choo-choo!)" Smorga exclaimed.

During their wasted time spent circling around Glowflower, the Smorg had succeeded in knocking over three trash cans, ruining five gardens, breaking two sales carts, and leaving countless dents in other vehicles.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I don't know how to breathe on this device thingy.)" Smorgo muttered as he turned the steering wheel, causing the car to crash into a lamppost.

-----

**To & Too / Andy & King- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"Detour. Anchovy or Anchor. 'Are you suited for feeding the ship workers or doing their work?' " Too read.

"Gee, I don't know…" To shrugged. "…But I don't think we could pull up an anchor…could we?"

"We have a crank and chain…" Too murmured.

"Still, it doesn't sound like a good idea…" Andy warned, his calculating gaze fixated on the Detour folder.

"Yeah…it'd be a total bummer to waste time heading back just 'cuz you can't work the crank." King K. agreed.

"So I guess you guys are doing Anchovy?" To asked.

"Yeah. It should be a whole lot easier for us." Andy stated.

"What do you think, sis…" To asked. "I think we should go with that."

"Sure!"

Nodding in agreement, the Glitzville fighters took the lead out of the court parking lot.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Glowflower, Streets)**

"I give up…" Beldam sighed as she parked on a fire lane and took out the green card. "What do I have to do…drive yourselves to Glowfish Aquahouse and feast on a platter of fish with a strong flavor."

_There is one Fast Forward hidden on almost every leg of the race. Any team that uses a Fast Forward can skip all tasks and head directly to the pit stop. However, once a team uses a Fast Forward, they can't use another for the rest of the race—so they must decide when it is most advantageous to go for it. In this Fast Forward, teams will have to drive south of Glowflower 8 miles to this small stretch of beach, where they'll find this rustic restaurant, Glowfish Aquahouse, a local diner famous for its extreme flavors of food and opportunities to watch chefs create dishes. Inside, teams will be seated and served with one platter of fish for each team member, complete with scales, bones, and all. What teams don't know is that their meal is completely soaked in different salts and juices, which provide one of the strongest salty-sour combinations known in the world. Once teams clean their fish off, they'll earn the Fast Forward clue._

"You expect me to eat fish? That's nasty!" Queen grumbled disgustedly. "There ain't no way I'm gonna eat fish! Nuh-uh!"

"Then help me find the beach pier!" Beldam screamed.

"What's that over there, you twit?" Queen pointed.

"…Shut up." Beldam snapped quietly. Across the street were none other but the elusive beach pier and the stack of Mysteries.

-----

**(World Flyer 354- ARRIVING AT 11:58 A.M.)**

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Glowflower Airport, Taxi Pick-Up)**

"Hopefully they get stuck in the airport…I just know we're fighting to stay out of last now…" Toodles sighed. "I just hate wishing bad fortune upon other people…"

"Clear-Stone Towers, please!" Toadia replied to the driver before turning to her partner. "Don't worry…we'll be fine…"

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Glowflower Airport, Taxi Pick-Up)**

"Where are the Posh girls? Did they already get a taxi out?" Pungry darted his head around as he flew through the doors. "I don't see them!"

"That means we're behind, Pungry!" Pungent beaconed towards a taxi. "We gotta go, bud!"

"Realizing that we were pretty much in a dead-heat battle to avoid coming in last back at the airport wasn't exactly anything new to us. We've been at the back of the pack since the start of the race…it isn't exactly the best thing, but at least we've learned how to function." Pungry admitted. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"It looks like four teams have already been here…but that's okay." Waitress pulled the '5' sticker off the stand, and took their picture from the box.

"We choose not to Wield—er, Yield anyone." Shimi announced, blushing slightly from slipping up.

Hearing this, the Squeek chuckled lightly to himself before launching into the explanation.

-----

The large factory, Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop, seemed almost obsessive with its main topic—the doors together looked like a can of fish, and the windows were cylindrical in appearance. But what was most disturbing was the fact that the front of the building appeared like a gigantic fish—the doors were located at the mouth, and the windows were also colored like scales. Surprisingly, without proper searching, the windows and doors would've been hard to find, as they matched with their background.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop)**

Dashing from their marked car, Husband and Wife were stopped at the door by a Magikoopa.

"So…you're choosing to do this task?"

"Yes sir." Husband nodded, holding out the Mystery.

"Very well then…" Holding his wand above his head, the Magikoopa murmured something inaudible before zapping the box with a short blast of light.

"Hey! What gives?!" Wife complained, shielding her eyes.

"You'll see…" The Magikoopa replied slyly. "When you get to a work station, you can go ahead and open it."

Shrugging, the married couple hurried inside, and down the hall, as directed by a race arrow. They both turned through a doorframe marked by a flag, and immediately stopped upon seeing the large room, filled with assembly lines of conveyor belts, machinery, funnels, and fish.

"If they have mechanical canners, why do they need us to do the work…" Husband murmured, noting the fact that several machines were canning fish on the other side of the room.

"Whatever; that doesn't matter!" Wife pulled the ribbon off of the Mystery, and pulled up the flaps of the box. At first, nothing seemed to be inside, but when she tipped the box over, a large measuring stick fell out, along with three separate funnels, each with the same-sized holes.

"I guess we use this to sort the fish…" Husband said quietly, holding up the measuring stick. It was colored in three different translucent shades, each one individually labeled 'Small,' 'Medium,' and 'Large.'

"Well, let's get started then!" Wife flipped a switch on the machine they were standing next to, causing the conveyor belt to start moving towards the opposite wall at a really slow pace. Fish started to come out from the covered opening.

"This shouldn't be too hard." Husband remarked, picking up three of the cans that needed to be filled from a pyramid stack next to the belt.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

Both ladies had a bit more urgency in their stride as they walked (skipped, in Toadia's case) to the center of the three towers.

Toodles skimmed over the Fast Forward.

"…I'm afraid neither of us has the appetite to clean a whole fish…but then again, we have the power to cuisine on something of that caliber any time." Toodles stated, handing the green card to Toadia.

"…Um…sure!" Toadia grinned.

"Okay…we have to pick up a Mystery at the beach dock and bring it to Harborside Cabana." Toodles informed Toadia.

"That doesn't sound like much…" Toadia fingered her Luigi dog tags gingerly. "Hey, I wonder if our marked car is here this time…"

Much to the pair's relief and comfort, their marked car was waiting for them; they immediately jumped in and drove off in the direction of the dock.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- CURRENTLY IN LAST (Glowflower, Clear-Stone Towers)**

"Last one…" Pungry sighed, opening the envelope. "…Hey, there's a Fast Forward in here!"

"What're you waitin' for, Pungry? Open it already!" Pungent commanded. The Puni did so, and his eyes seemed to bulge.

"…We have to eat a whole fish each?" Pungry twitched. "…Dang…I seriously don't know if I can do that…"

"…Are you kiddin' yerself or somethin'?" Pungent asked exasperatedly. "Remember the time where you totaled that platter of 'Shrooms we got? You can take this!"

"Yeah…" Pungry trailed off. "Thanks…well, we'll just have to try and see, won't we?"

Determined to keep themselves from coming in last, the Punis crossed the street to the remaining marked car.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"Thank you." Shimi bowed gratefully to the race official. "That was a bit more physical than usual…my fins hurt. Detour… Anchovy or Anchor. …EW! THAT'S GROSS! THEY EXPECT ME TO GO CANNING MY OWN FIND—ER, KIND?!"

"No…that's why they gave us another option." Waitress answered, reading over Anchor. "…Um…but do you think we can pull up an anchor?"

"Sure, anything to avoid having to ban father fish!" Shimi replied quickly, causing Waitress to look at him weirdly.

"Earlier on, I took a peek at the Fast Forward…seeing how Shimi freaked out at just the thought of having to touch dead fish…I don't know WHAT he would've done if he had to eat another…I'm really glad I didn't mention it to him…" Waitress sighed. (After-Leg Interview)

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"You know…I really wonder what would happen if someone used a Yield, but that team was successful at the Fast Forward…" Zess remarked as they stood on the Yield mat.

"I would like to know, too…maybe it wouldn't conflict if the Yield was before the Fast Forward clue," Toadsworth glanced at the sky, "or if the Fast Forwards were limited…but then again, maybe the Yield could be served out at the pit stop."

"…Wow!" Zess giggled, causing Toadsworth to blush slightly. "Well…we don't want to waste our Yield…so, we won't use it."

The two Toads walked over to the Squeek, who dove again into his brief speech.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Glowflower, Beach Pier)**

"We're still apparently ahead of the Punis!" Toadia informed Toodles. "There's only one other Mystery back there!"

"…They might've gone to the Fast Forward, which most likely doesn't involve it…" Toodles mused. "I really hope we can make it to the pit stop before they finish."

-----

**To & Too / Andy & King / Husband & Wife (Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop)**

Having just arrived at the factory, the sisters and fighters were both just starting to get the hang of the belt speed.

"Okay, our large cans are all full…now we just need to fill the other two types…" Wife sighed.

"Babe, don't give up just yet…we're almost done!" Husband encouraged, dumping a few small-sized anchovies into a funnel. "Just a few…or a lot…more cans!"

"It really smells in here…reminds me of the locker room back in the Glitz Pit…" Bandy Andy remarked.

"Ew…is it really that bad there?" To grimaced.

-----

Although the commercial docks of Harborside Cabana were a bit farther away from the rest of the city, the mark of time was clear; torn landscapes surrounding the area made it apparent that the docks themselves had once been surrounded by downtown area. Anchored firmly in the waters, a little bit from the shore, were ten large vessels, each one looked to be loaded with cargo. On the starboard side of each one was a chain that disappeared into the seas below.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Harborside Cabana, Commerical Docks)**

"It's about time we got here…" Flare cracked his knuckles as he stepped into a marked motorboat.

"Hold up!" Hamma shouted at Flare.

"Well, hurry yourself up!" Flare replied.

Hamma impatiently waited as the Magikoopa muttered something under his breath before releasing a spell on the Mystery.

"You can go ahead and open the Mystery when you're on board…but I wouldn't recommend doing so while you're in your boat." The Magikoopa warned.

"Sure, whatever…" Hamma waved him off and jumped into the motorboat with his brother.

"Let's get this thing goin'!" Flare turned the key in the slot, starting the boat. It then zoomed off in the direction of the closest ship.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"Detour. Anchovy or Anchor." Zess read. "…I think we better can those anchovies…I don't know if we can pull up an anchor."

"If you say so." Toadsworth somewhat reluctantly agreed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"What the HECK?!"

The Squeek dove out of the way as the car of the Smorg crashed on the curb and flipped up onto the sidewalk, but stopped right before going into the enclosed courts.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ice cream candy!)" Smorga cheered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Who brought the champagne?)" Smorgo asked.

Jumping onto the Yield mat, the Smorg gazed with awe at the sign, as if it were the most interesting and dazzling thing they'd ever seen.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Is that present for me?)" Smorga squealed, knocking over the box holding the pictures. One of them got stuck to Smorgo, who also chose to jump up and touch the board.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Bubble bath bonanza broke butterfly babble!)" Smorgo chanted as he/she/it tackled the board, causing the picture to get stuck to it. Since Smorga was 'wearing' the open travel pack, a sticker had fallen out and gotten stuck to the board when she touched it.

As if nothing happened, the two Smorg bounced past the Squeek and into the courts, where they both merely touched a cart of the coconuts, causing most of them to break.

"…HERE! JUST TAKE IT! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

Following a clue envelope thrown like a frisbee, the two Smorg crashed through the windshield of their car and ended up forcing the vehicle to back into a palm tree before getting it straight on the road.

"…What WERE those things?" one of the Toads asked.

"I have no idea…but they're dangerous." The Squeek muttered, looking at the messy Yield area. The board itself was covered with a strange mixture of melted cheese and dirt, and the box that used to hold the pictures had a large crack going through the middle. But what was the most important was the team that the Smorg had actually Yielded…

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Harborside Cabana Bay, Marked Ship)**

The Hammer Brother opened the Mystery and held it upside down, causing a crank and anchor to fall out. The anchor was the more interesting of the two objects, as it was shaped like a Star with a hook at one tip.

"I guess this is how we get it to work…" Flare muttered, picking up the crank. He then proceeded to actually try and do 'diligent' work by inserting the crank…by banging it against the cable holder.

"STOP!"

Hamma laughed as one of the members of the crew forced Flare to desist, and started assisting him in inserting the crank.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Glowfish Aquahouse)**

"Wow…we actually managed not to get lost." Pungry quipped as the two Punis went through the doors. A waitress immediately greeted them, and quickly ushered them to a marked booth. Within ten seconds, another waiter appeared and set two plates of cooked fish down on the table.

"…This is all they're talkin' about? This ain't nothin'!" Pungent exclaimed, setting to work cleaning the scales off.

"…Hey, are we supposed to eat the eyeball?" Pungry asked in confusion, eyeing the fish nervously.

"…You can if ya want…but if ya don't, I'll eat it!"

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop)**

"Please tell me it's all sorted out right now…" Husband begged, practically on his knees. "We already had to dig into those cans once!"

"Hmm…" The Magikoopa supervisor rubbed her chin. "I don't know…"

"Oh, quit foolin' with us already!" Wife snapped.

"Ehehe…oh, okay…well, all you need to do now is just send all your cans into assembly line for the tops to be put on…you don't have to stick around for 'em to finish. Just do it and you'll be done."

Quicker than the blink of an eye, Husband and Wife astonished all in the room by sweeping up the stack of cans and entering them into the lid-attachment line. Somewhat nervously, the official handed the Twilighters the envelope.

"We'll be seeing you guys later!" Wife waved at the other teams before leaving the room. When they were safely out of the building and out of earshot, Husband opened the clue to reveal some Route Info.

"What now…" Husband sighed. "Can't we just go to the pit stop and take a shower? I don't wanna smell like this forever…"

"Quit gripin' and read it already!" Wife ordered.

"Fine, fine… Ahem… 'Drive yourselves to Harborside Cabana Beach and locate the Watchtower next to the flag storage to locate your next clue.' "

_Teams must now drive themselves about 3 miles from both Detour options to the widest portion of the Harborside Cabana beach strip and find this white watchtower, which serves as the main warning signal to the rest of the city whenever weather takes a turn for the worst. Here, at the base of this important structure, they'll find their next clue._

"Alright…I can feel the pit stop coming!" Husband cheered as he backed the car up, causing Wife to groan.

"You're so annoying!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Sparkle Bay, Highway Rest Stop)**

"Someone? Anyone? Won't someone PLEASE help us?!" Beldam cried out. "I'm being serious; we're really lost and we could use some help!"

Unfortunately for Beldam, the few people that were actually at the rest stop just ignored her.

"This is so STUPID!" Beldam angrily crumpled the map up into a tight ball and chunked it as hard as she could into the air, her hands freezing with her icy powers. "We've been circling around for practically an hour and I can't even get any decent help! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!"

"…You shouted. Now shut up and let me get my beauty rest, you hag." Queen voiced loudly, going to sleep in the car.

Beldam slapped her forehead. "You're not getting any rest! You don't—"

Silence was heard as Beldam realized she'd been standing in front of a map of Sparkle Bay the whole time she'd been screaming.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Harborside Cabana, Commercial Docks)**

"Thank you…" Waitress quickly hopped into the motorboat the Shimi had chosen after letting the Magikoopa cast a spell on it.

"This doesn't look good…" Shimi observed. "The bothers are already heading back here!"

"…Don't you mean 'brothers'?" Waitress asked. "But then again, they sort of are bothersome…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Harborside Cabana Bay)**

"Heh, that was WAY too easy!" Flare remarked, holding tightly onto the anchor they'd pulled up, which was shaped like a Fire Flower.

"Looks like another team is on the way there to do it…" Hamma stated. "…Tch. It's the train workers, trailin' by a mile!"

As the two motorboats passed each other, Waitress and Shimi waved. The brothers, on the other hand, just laughed mockingly.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Harborside Cabana Bay)**

"Someone really should've Yielded those two…" Waitress murmured to her partner, who was piloting the motorboat.

"Tell me about it…as if they weren't bad enough with their arguing back in Faire Square…they're so hard-beaked!"

"…For once, I think I'll agree with a slip-up…their mouths can't ever close tight enough…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Harborside Cabana, Commercial Docks)**

Flare dropped the anchor off next to the Magikoopa, who handed them the envelope.

"YES!" Hamma opened the clue. "…We're driving off down the beach again? The pit stop better be close…"

"Why? Tired?" Flare teased.

"Hah! In your dreams!"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- CURRENTLY IN 3rd (Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop)**

"Yay! Thank you so much!" To accepted the envelope from the supervisor before running with her sister back down the hall and out of the factory.

"What does it say?" Too asked eagerly.

"…'Drive yourselves to Harborside Cabana Beach and locate the Watchtower next to the flag storage to locate your next clue.' " To read.

"Oh, man…when we do check into the pit stop, it's going to smell for like, forever!" Too giggled. "I bet Miles is going to make a comment about it…"

"Yeah, he probably is…he'll be like, 'You two smell awfully fishy…what'd you do to you car this time?' "

This comment caused both girls to erupt with laughter.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- CURRENTLY IN 4th (Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop, Parking Lot)**

"We're going back to the beach!" Andy exclaimed, starting the car.

"The girls left just one tick before we got done! We gotta catch up!" King K. noted.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop)**

After letting the worker cast a spell on their Mystery, the two elderly Toads walked into the factory room, only to find it void of other teams. Opening the box didn't help, either.

"Okay…what're we supposed to do again?" Zess asked. The duo looked around, but didn't find any help, since the cans from the other teams were long gone.

"I don't know…maybe this does something." Toadsworth flipped the switch on the machine, causing it to cough to life. Fish started to spill out from the belt, startling the pair.

"I feel stupid…what do we do with this?"

"…"

"This wreaks something awful…" Zess complained. "How are we supposed to do this?"

"There aren't any instructions…I'm afraid I don't know…" Toadsworth stated dismally. "Maybe if we just think for a minute, we can figure it out…"

"Right…" Zess pulled the Detour clue back out. "…I think I get it…but what's the point of using funnels with the fish? That doesn't make any sense…"

Just then, at that moment…someone else came in.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It smells like pineapple in here!)" Smorgo said happily.

"…Oh no." Zess squeaked.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Glowfish Aquahouse)**

"A 'lil bit too strong in flavors, bud…but a good late lunch nonetheless…" Pungent remarked as the waiter took away his plate.

"You gotta be kidding…you're done already?" Pungry gasped in shock.

"…Well…yeah. We gotta hurry if we're to get first with this Fast Forward, ya know…"

"…Right…" Pungry sighed as he stared down at his plate, which still contained half of his fish.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

The marked car of the two Poshley Heights women pulled up to the courts.

"Come on, Toodles!" Toadia exclaimed. "…Ew…what's all this gunk on the board?"

Attempting to wipe the nasty solution off the board, Toadia discovered that two pictures were already on it…the Yielder and the Yielded.

"…Oh my gosh…they DIDN'T!" Toadia gasped.

"What is it, dear? Wait…is that…oh…"

Toadia sighed as she flipped the hourglass over. The Smorg had Yielded THEM.

"It's times like this I'm glad I have someone to shoulder me…" Toadia remarked.

"That's nice." Toodles stated, knowing full well that Toadia was indicating her dog tags.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"D'oh! How'd those girly delinquents get in front of us?!" Beldam whispered to herself.

"SHUT UP!" Queen demanded. "I need to get my beauty—REST! LET GO OF ME!"

Beldam ignored Queen's flailing, and floated past the waiting girls and into the courts, not wanting to have to listen to the Squeek.

-----

Atop the beach tower was a light-blue flag. In the very center of it was a yellow circle from which stripes of the same hue branched off. Apparently, the cloth featured the sun in the foreground of a cloudless day.

**Husband & Wife: Married- CURRENTLY IN 1st (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

Quickly parking their marked car, Husband and Wife ran out and rushed to the clue box.

"…Oh, no…I knew this'd be coming up…it's a Roadblock…" Wife read. " 'Who is ready to climb to the top?' "

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person can perform any more than eight on the entire race. In this Roadblock, that person will have to perform a watered-down duty assigned to the keeper of the beach tower. The team member will have to climb one of the two palm trees on either side of the flag storage building and retrieve a flag that features their team on it. Once they've done so, they will have to slide back down the palm tree to meet up with their partner. At this point, an official will give them the okay to run down the beach with their flag a quarter of a mile to the next possible pit stop: Waterfrontage Mansion. This oversized cabana, unique in that it covers over 4,000 square yards of space and is still entirely covered by a thatched roof, is possibly the pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here may be eliminated._

"…I guess I'll do it." Wife volunteered, shrugging. "…Okay… 'Climb to the top of one of the palm trees and retrieve your team flag. Once you're done, you are free to run down the beach to the pit stop, at the Waterfrontage Mansion.' The pit stop!"

"You better scramble up there fast!" Husband warned, pulling off a '1' sticker and handing it to her.

"Don't worry about a thing! I'll…"

Wife's face plummeted once she saw how straight the two palm trees were; they were virtually perpendicular to the ground.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"It took you long enough…" Queen murmured as Beldam opened the envelope.

"What're you talking about? You're the one that didn't hit the coconut until…never mind…" Beldam groaned. "Detour…Anchovy or Anchor… …You're not going to do any work, are you?"

"…No."

"…That's what I was afraid of…" Beldam shook her head. "…I guess we have to pull up the anchor…if you smelled like fish, you'd blame it on me…" Beldam muttered.

As the shadow folk left, they each cast a gaze on the two Toads, who were waiting for the sand to run down to the bottom of the hourglass.

-----

**To & Too / Andy & King / Hamma & Flare- CURRENTLY IN 2nd (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"Roadblock. Who—"

"—Is ready to climb—"

"—To the top?"

"That's me!" To brushed her red hair out of her eyes. "I'll be right back!"

"I think it's best if you do it, yo." King K. said.

"…Heck, I'm tired…but we're going to the pit stop!" Flare exclaimed. "And anyways…you'd probably take forever…"

"Shut up." Hamma retorted.

Due to the fact that Andy and Flare both consulted their partners, To was able to grab the number '2' sticker and run to the other side to the tree, forcing them to wait. Since Flare lost time being socked in the jaw by his brother, Andy claimed the third sticker.

**Husband & Wife (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"Hurry up, babe! The other teams are already here!" Husband yelled out at his spouse.

"I'm trying! You don't know how hard it is to grip this thing!" Wife shouted back.

"Really?! That's a surprise! It looks fine to me!"

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU GRIM-FACED IMBECILE! YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING!"

Taken aback, a shocked Husband immediately fumed red.

"LOOK IN THE MIRROR!"

"Uh-oh…looks like we're going to be here a while…" Andy whispered to King K.

"Like, you can say that again, yo…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 5th (Harborside Cabana, Commercial Docks)**

"Okay…that took us entirely way too long." Waitress groaned. It was apparent that she'd been the one to carry the anchor from the marks on her hands and arms.

"…We're still not redded to the peach pit stop." Shimi informed.

"Sometimes, I don't have any idea what you're trying to tell me…" Waitress rolled her eyes.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Glowfish Aquahouse)**

"Finally we're done! Thank you!" Pungent hooted, taking the envelope. Pungry just sat there, too stuffed to move.

"…I…feel…like I'm gonna…explode…" Pungry muttered slowly, but Pungent ignored him.

"Congrats on winnin' the Fast Forward, now make yer way to the next pit stop at Waterfrontage Mansion in Harborside Cabana!"

_Having won the Fast Forward, Pungry and Pungent can now proceed to what is most likely the next pit stop, at Waterfrontage Mansion._

"Come on!"

Pungent had to push Pungry out of the booth to get him moving again.

-----

**Husband & Wife / To & Too / Andy & King / Hamma & Flare (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"Yeah! You can do it, To!" Too screamed, cheering her sister on as she picked up the team flag.

"I got it!" To waved the flag around happily before running back over to the top of the tree.

"Before the race, I think all of the teams were asked to choose decorations for a flag, because we were given this form to fill out. You wouldn't believe how astonished I was when I saw that the flag design was actually put on our flag! It was so cool! Well, anyways…ours is decorated with red, pink, and green…it symbolizes not just Too and me, but also Two…because she gave us so much support when we ended up being the team and she was left out." To explained. (After-Leg Interview)

"Come on, sis! Here, throw it down to me!" Too instructed after glancing at the Roadblock details. To threw the tri-color flag down to her sister before sliding down the palm tree.

"WHEEEE!"

After rendezvousing, To and Too cheered and rushed off down the beach, toting their flag around in the air.

"This is pathetic. She started before 'em and she's still struggling with just climbing…" Husband grumbled to himself. "I shoulda done this…"

"Yo, Andy! Don't take too long, bro!" King reminded.

"Heh, don't worry…I'll be up and down in no time!" Andy gave a thumbs up before grabbing hold of the palm tree.

"Man this sucks…waiting in line wastes time…" Hamma complained.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Flare remarked sarcastically.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga / Zess & Toadsworth (Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I don't understand this kid's game!)" Smorgo whined. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (I wanna go home!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (These lollipops taste like sewer sweat…)" Smorga engulfed another anchovy. Surprisingly, the two were randomly canning anchovies into their stack of cans without using the measuring stick…AND GETTING THEM RIGHT!

"How're those two doing that?" Zess asked. "That's crazy! They're actually ahead of us!"

"We mustn't spend time looking at what they have and we don't. Focus." Toadsworth insisted, to which Zess nodded.

"Right…oh, hand me the stick, would you?"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I think I'm allergic to allergic allergy reactions through which I'm allergic to…)" Smorgo mused as his/her/its body bristled out.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (That's ridiculous…you're only allergic to lollipops.)" Smorga replied.

-----

**Husband & Wife / Andy & King / Hamma & Flare (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"YEAH!"

Bandy Andy threw a flag decorated with the words "Minor Leaguers" down to King K. before sliding down the palm tree.

"Awesome job, yo!" King K. congratulated, slapping Andy on the back.

"Come on, now we can go to the pit stop!" Andy exclaimed excitedly.

"Finally…" Flare quickly started scrambling up the open palm tree, but ended up going nowhere fast as a result of bad traction.

"…Our grandma can climb better than you!" Hamma rolled his eyes.

"Hurry up and throw me the flag!" Husband demanded.

"Okay, hon!"

Wife threw a darkly colored pennant down to her husband. Unfortunately, she missed by a long shot, and it ended up crashing into the sand.

"What the heck was that?" Husband shouted as Wife came sliding down.

"…Just shut up!" Wife barked back, picking up the pole. Upon clearing the cloth of the sand, a large moon in the middle of the flag was revealed.

"Well, come on! We might be able to catch up to…oh never mind…" Husband trailed off.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

The hourglass still had a small portion of sand at the top.

"This is taking entirely too long…" Toodles sighed. "It's going to be very hard trying to catch up now…"

"Catch up?" Toadia repeated. "…If only…why'd they have to Yield us, anyways?"

"I'm afraid I don't know…but those two things have a thing coming…I still haven't forgiven them for being part of the miasma that attacked the Excess Express…" Toodles growled.

-----

A thatched roof completely made of leafs and grass covered the large one-story building known as Waterfrontage Mansion. From an overhead view, it became apparent that the structure itself was shaped somewhat like a ship, sailing in a rectangular picture frame made up of the lot's boundaries—metal fence posts that ran all the way around, only stopping at three entrances before continuing on.

In the very front of the lot, directly in front of the entrance gate, was the pit stop mat. Behind it was none other but Miles, along with a Koopa, dressed in a button-down covered in palm trees. Right next to the mat was a stand with ten separated holes in it, one for each of the flags of the remaining teams.

**Team ? (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"Look, it's Miles over there! And the flag stand!"

"Quick, put our flag in!"

The unseen team inserted the end of their pole into the closest hole of the wood before jumping onto the mat.

"Awesome…" The Koopa muttered, lowering his sunglasses to eye the team. "Hey, chicks…welcome ta Harborside Cabana, Sparkle Bay…"

Giggling, the two girls both shook the Koopa's outstretched hand.

"To and Too." Miles pronounced slowly, "You're team number ONE!"

**To & Too: Sisters- 1st Place, 3:08 P.M.**

"YEAH! YES!"

Laughing harder than ever, To and Too hugged each other before calming down enough for the Yoshi to continue.

"Anyways, I have some more good news for you two…I'm sure you're gonna like it. As the winners of this third leg of the race, you two have won an all-expense paid vacation to spend time here in the Sparkle Bay region for two weeks. You'll have the option to stay in any of the remarkable resort hotels in the four cities, and will have access to all of the great sights and landmarks that you had to speed by. You can enjoy all this after the race…plus…you can bring your sister. How does that sound?"

"Oh, that's awesome!" Too squealed. "Thank you so much, Miles!"

"We know that Two's gonna love being here once the race is over…and we'll finally get to explore slowly, just like we did when we were going on the area around Rogueport!" To exclaimed.

Both girls unexpectedly gave Miles a hug, to which he chuckled and embraced back.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Harborside Cabana, Bay)**

"Hop to it, Beldam…we don't have all day…the sun is setting and my beauty rest still isn't complete." Queen muttered, fanning herself as she sat on a beach chair.

"Well, why don't you help me? We could leave if you did!" Beldam screeched, struggling to rotate the newly inserted crank to pull up the Fire Flower anchor that was dangling halfway up the length of the ship.

"Right…that's a laugh!" Queen yawned, rolling over. "You know, Beldam…you make the funniest jokes…"

"…GRAH!" Beldam screamed out furiously. Interestingly, her rage gave her the power to pull up the anchor. "…Wow. Now I just need to insert the cable to this other anchor…"

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"Yes!"

The last of the sand finally emptied into the bottom, allowing the anxious Toads to continue into the coconutball area.

"Oh, thank goodness…" Toodles murmured, grabbing a coconut and club from the carts. "Hopefully we can make up lost time…"

"I really, really hope so…" Toadia muttered worriedly.

-----

Running down the beach with a flag hoisted high into the air, one team was besting the other on the way to the pit stop mat in front of the mansion.

**Andy & King / Husband & Wife (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"Well, there's already a flag here…I would've expected as much…oh well!"

"Hey man…second's better than third, dig?"

"Heh, welcome ta Harborside Cabana, Sparkle Bay, dudes…"

"Andy and King," Miles announced, "you're team number two!"

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 2nd Place, 3:14 P.M.**

"That's cool…but that gold'll be ours tomorrow!" King K. exclaimed.

"Heh, I hope so." Andy agreed.

Noticing that the two Twilight Town folks were implanting their flag into the stand, the Glitz Pit fighters respectfully stepped off the mat and allowed them to get on.

"You two are WAY too fast…" Wife stated playfully, slapping Andy on the back.

"Tell me about it…I think I got a cramp chasing 'em…" Husband growled.

"Husband and Wife." Miles nodded slowly. "You're team number three."

**Husband & Wife: Married- 3rd Place, 3:15 P.M.**

"Well…we didn't drop too badly." Wife shrugged. "That's the good thing."

"Right…but today, we both turned a little more red than our skins should allow." Husband realized, pulling in his spouse.

"Yeah…" Wife blushed as Husband gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"Finally! Now we can head to the pit stop!" Hamma sighed exasperatedly.

"Don't just sit there, then! Run!" Flare reminded, holding up the flag, which was covered with hammers and fire designs.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- CURRENTLY IN 6th (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"The third Roadblock…drool." Shimi remarked. "Who is ready to climb to the top? …Okay, that finks…I can't plumb at all."

"So I guess that I have to do it, then… …Wait…what?" Waitress asked incredulously.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Fish-Flop Funnel-Drop)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Eww…did you notice it smells like lovely perfume in here?! It's awful!)" Smorga exclaimed, jumping onto the Magikoopa in disgust.

"Get off of me! And take your clue with you!"

Smorga flew out the door upon one throw from the Magikoopa, who brushed off her robe.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Yummy curtain printer mouse!)" Smorgo remarked, peeling open one of the cans of pre-made anchovies before dumping it on the ground.

"We're nearly done…just a few more cans and we'll be done…" Zess wiped her brow.

"Hopefully we did it correctly…" Toadsworth stated.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN LAST (Harborside Cabana, Coconutball Courts)**

"Detour. Anchovy or Anchor." Toadia read.

"Get it off…these are designer's clothes!" Toodles cried, trying desperately to wet off stains made by coconut milk on her attire.

"…" Toadia turned back to the clue. "…They both have the potential to get messy, I bet…but I think I'll trade the stink. Let's go for the anchor!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Harborside Cabana, Commercial Docks)**

"We're still not done yet…this is taking entirely too long…" Beldam complained, reading over the clue. "…I think I saw a watchtower with a flag on it on the way here…"

"Or maybe your eyes were messed up." Queen teased.

"…That made absolutely no sense at all."

"…Shut up."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

Flare nearly slammed the flag into the stand. He then proceeded to dive onto the mat, knocking over his sibling.

"What the heck is wrong with you? You don't even have shoelaces and you trip over nothing!" Hamma complained, rubbing the arm that he landed on.

"Shut up…it was a move to look cool…" Flare argued. "Just jumping on has no coolness to it."

"…" The Koopa rolled his eyes.

"Hamma and Flare." Miles said. " You're team number four."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 4th Place, 3:21 P.M.**

"…That sucks." Hamma looked as if a girl had just shot him down.

"Tch. Understatement…" Flare retorted. "But then again…it's better than the seventh we got at that casino place…"

"Maybe…but we still haven't gotten first yet…" Hamma crossed his arms.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Fish-Flop, Funnel-Drop)**

"Thank you very much…" Toadsworth said gratefully, opening the envelope.

"What does it say?" Zess asked, rubbing her hands on her pants.

"We need to drive to the beach now and find the watchtower." Toadsworth replied.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"…Whoa…uh, welcome lil' dudes…"

"Um…thanks?"

"Pungry and Pungent." Miles smirked at the duo, who both looked incredibly worried upon hearing his dismal tone of voice. "You're…team number five."

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 5th Place, 3:30 P.M.**

"…OH. MY. GOSH. We're finally out of the back and in the middle!" Pungry cheered.

"Ain't first, but we'll take it for now!" Pungent whooped.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"Did you get it?" Shimi shouted, cupping his fins around his mouth.

"Yeah!" Waitress replied back. She threw down a flag with a picture of the Excess Express heading through the desert emblazoned on both sides.

"Awesome! Now berry make the bed to the pit stop!" Shimi answered, leaping to catch the flag.

"What?" Waitress asked perplexedly, sliding down the tree.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Harborside Cabana, Streets)**

"I SAID I SAW IT!" Beldam screamed.

"No you didn't…that's crazy." Queen responded, swerving the car to the side to avoid a pedestrian on the sidewalk. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU STUPID PEASANT!"

"I don't see why you had to drive anyway!" Beldam muttered darkly.

"Simple…this chair is more comfortable than that one." Queen replied simply, causing Beldam to sweatdrop.

The marked car swerved again to avoid a biker as it ran a red light.

"Where'd you get your license?" Beldam asked.

"…License? What's that?" Queen questioned back.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Harborside Cabana, Streets)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (What delirious eye candy that is…)" Smorga remarked on the driving of the Shadow Queen ahead of them.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You could surely learn from that, young grasshopper…)" Smorgo said matter-of-factly, playing with the door lever.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Since when do candy apples appear in magical forests of 3049?)" Smorga turned around to stare at Smorgo.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (ELEPHANT!)" Smorgo cried out with surprise as the door opened, and was broken off as the car tumbled by a lamppost.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- CURRENTLY IN 7th (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"Finally, we're here…I hope this leads to…oh, it's a Roadblock." Zess sighed disappointedly. "Who is ready to climb to the top?"

"Who indeed…I have absolutely no idea what this would have to do with…we have no edge up." Toadsworth replied quietly.

"I'll do it…Toadsy, you might hurt your back…" Zess teased lightly as she read the details, causing Toadsworth to chuckle.

"Whatever…do not hurt yourself, though. If we are to continue racing, I can't run with an injured partner…"

"Oh, don't worry yourself so…" Zess rolled her eyes and latched her arms around a palm tree.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"Welcome ta Harborside Cabana, Sparkle Bay."

"Thanks!"

"Thank blue."

"…Shimi and Waitress." Miles started, "You're team number six."

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 6th Place, 3:41 P.M.**

"That's not too bad…" Shimi mused. "But we lost quite a bit of homebound to the other teams today…"

"Oh, we can catch up as soon as we rest up." Waitress stated, eyeing the mansion. "And I think I'm going to sleep well until we leave…"

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Harborside Cabana, Commercial Docks)**

"Can you please hurry up?" Toadia asked impatiently as the Magikoopa concentrated on putting a spell over the Mystery.

"Hold on…okay, there."

Toadia made a wide leap into the boat Toodles was waiting in.

"I honestly do hope that this does not take too long…" Toodles twisted the key quickly, and held on as the boat sped off through the waters.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"Very nice, Zess! Here, throw it down!" Toadsworth instructed. His partner tossed down a uniquely-designed flag with a yin-yang symbol, plate of food, and crown on it.

"We can go to the pit stop now, right?" Zess asked as she slid down the tree. "Oh, my arms…"

"I'll hold this…" Toadsworth picked up the flag. "According to what I can see, the mansion is that way down the beach."

"Awesome! Let's go!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- CURRENTLY IN 8th (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"We were so lucky to spot this…why didn't you read the map right in the first place, Beldam?" Queen asked, causing a fuming Beldam to turn away with a 'hmph.'

"Well…there wasn't any point in directing someone that couldn't even drive…" Beldam replied coldly.

"Anyways…enough of this. I need to violet on the beach…" Queen sighed, lying down to relax on the sand.

"You're such an idiot, you nutjob!" Beldam cried out, grabbing an envelope from the box. "Urgh…okay…calm yourself down, Beldam. Roadblock. 'Who is ready to climb to the top?' "

"Definitely not you." Queen murmured.

"Shut up!" Beldam growled. "Like you'd do it?!"

"Of course not…I'd look stupid."

"You already do…"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- CURRENTLY IN 9th (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Pillow fluffing is fun!)" Smorgo stated, hopping over Queen's face.

"What the—"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I spy with my three-hundred eyes a large yellow ball of milk!)" Smorga cheered, jumping on the spot where Smorgo had left a smudge.

"WHAT IS WITH YOU STUPID THINGS! GET BACK HERE!"

As the Shadow Queen chased the two Smorg around, Smorgo leapt onto the clue box and ended up getting an envelope stuck to him before he somehow vertically hopped up the palm tree to escape, leaving Smorga to be chased around the watchtower.

"Uh, Queen? What's going on?" Beldam shouted down.

"YOU'RE GOING TO MEET YOUR DEMISE, YOU STUPID BLACK DISCY THINGS!"

At the top, Smorgo knocked over a completely black flag with two haunting yellow eyes on both sides. It landed at the bottom, and somehow caused Queen to trip.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quick, let's get away in our getaway car!" Smorga urged. Smorgo jumped off of the storage building and joined his/her/its partner in holding the flag up as they bounced towards the mansion.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (This turkey of the telephone takes my breath away from you." Smorgo murmured affectionately.

"GOOD RIDDANCE!" Queen screamed. "Hurry up, you slowpoke! Oh, when I catch up to those things, they're going to wish they NEVER were alive!"

Beldam sweatdropped.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Harborside Cabana, Bay)**

"Okay…we've almost got this anchor up! Just a bit more!" Toadia supported.

"Who knew that these ship workers had such hard work?" Toodles managed through gritted teeth.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Harborside Cabana, Beach)**

"Okay…my hands are officially in pain now…" Beldam mumbled, grabbing one of the three remaining flags at the top. Hers was a light shade of lavender, with sparkles of blue, yellow, and red here and there, along with a crown with real jewels in the middle.

Throwing the flag down to the sands below, Beldam was met with a cry of shock.

"HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY BEAUTIFUL FLAG FILTHY, YOU FOOL! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? YOUR INCOMPETENCE IS JUST SO UNBELIEVABLE! WHY I NEVER…"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"Welcome ta Harborside Cabana, Sparkle Bay!" The Koopa bowed somewhat respectfully, shaking the hands of the Toads.

"Thank you…by any chance, is this large place yours?" Toadsworth asked.

"…Um…yeah, actually…it is. How'd ya guess?"

"Well…" Toadsworth beckoned towards a surfboard fountain in the front, as well as a sunglasses theme apparent in the front doors. A small plaque next to it said "Property of Koonson Waterfrontage."

"Oh…heheh…"

"Zess and Toadsworth." Miles began, bringing the attention to his voice. "You're team number seven."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 7th Place, 4:04 P.M.**

"Seventh…we're really slipping, aren't we?" Zess asked incredulously. "At this rate, we'll be gone the next leg if we continue this little pattern…"

"We won't, Zess…that's unrealistic for us to actually continue a pattern like that…but if we did…it'd be just weird." Toadsworth reminded.

"…Oh, right…" Zess T. laughed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

After unceremoniously knocking over all of the other flags in the stand, Smorgo and Smorga dropped theirs off in one of the empty holes before hopping onto the map.

"…I don't even wanna know what those things are…" Koonson made a face.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I love spiders and monkey nunchucks!)" Smorga stated, jumping on Koonson's back.

"Dude, get off!" Koonson flung the thing off, causing Smorga to crash back onto his/her/its partner.

"Smorgo and Smorga. You are the eighth team to arrive." Miles stated calmly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (What does that supposed to mean? You can't fire me! I LIVE here!)" Smorgo screeched.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I don't understand why my iPod doesn't work in this outer space yogurt…)" Smorga said blankly.

"…Unfortunately…because you opened an extra clue envelope back in Glowflower, you will have to serve a thirty-minute penalty before I can check you in." Miles stated somewhat apologetically. "If you could, please wait over there."

A light breeze blowing through the area pushed the two Smorg off the mat and in the direction that Miles was pointing.

"…That was handy." Miles blinked.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"LET ME AT 'EM! LET ME AT THOSE STUPID THINGS!" Queen screamed, but had to be held back by Beldam.

"Let's just skip the greetings and all…she looks drunk or somethin'…"

"Beldam and Queen." Miles said hurriedly. "You're team number eight."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 8th Place, 4:08 P.M.**

"IT'S ALL THEIR FAULT! ALL THEIR FAULT, YOU HEAR ME?! THEY'LL PAY FOR THEIR INSOLENCE IN FOILING OUR ATTEMPTS TO WIN THE RACE! THEY—MMF! MF MMF!"

Beldam faked a grin as she kept pulling a flailing Queen into the property, making extra sure to keep her mouth covered.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Harborside Cabana, Bay)**

"Come on, we can't waste any time!" Toadia urged, holding the anchor under her arms.

"I know, Toadia, I know." Toodles stated. "Start…start, already! Okay, there…"

Toodles once again piloted the motorboat away at a speedy pace, this time back towards shore.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"…They haven't moved for quite a while now…wonder what's wrong." Koonson remarked.

"Hopefully it's nothing…" Miles wished.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (My tusk is exactly twenty couches long!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORG (Aww…this exercise bike doesn't work with my large helmet…)" Smorga mourned.

"I'LL GET YOU!" Queen shrieked from inside the mansion.

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- CURRENTLY IN LAST (Harborside Cabana, Bay)**

"I doubt that we have a chance to check in now…oh well…" Toadia sighed. "Roadblock. 'Who is ready to climb to the top?' Oh, that's me…but I wish there was a top to go to."

"Are you sure you want to—"

"No, really…it's okay…besides…" Toadia sniffed. "I'll feel just like my hero, climbing up a tree…doing something…neat…and…"

Toodles gasped as Toadia erupted in tears in her sleeve.

"Oh, Toodles…we're most definitely eliminated from the race now…I bet everyone's already checked in…" Toadia sobbed.

"There, there, dear…the least we can do is finish strong, right?" Toodles comforted, speaking slowly. "Besides…I…um…don't think that Luigi would…want to see you like this…uh, right?"

Toadia, slightly surprised, looked up at Toodles, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"You always know the right thing to say, teach…" Toadia smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Delicate fingernails are my love!)" Smorga exclaimed.

"Um…Smorgo and Smorga, you can come back in now." Miles called.

As if on cue, another breeze ran through that rolled the two Smorg back onto the mat.

"…Seriously, if that ain't creepy, I don't know what is…" Koonson muttered to himself.

"Smorgo and Smorga." Miles announced. "You're team number nine."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 9th Place, 4:34 P.M.**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I need a serious translator for this master's degree.)" Smorga stated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Yeah, seriously…I feel like these pencil leads are broken.)" Smorgo said wistfully.

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student (Waterfrontage Mansion, Entrance Gate)**

"There it is…we finally made it!"

Toodles planted the Poshley Heights flag into the stand, looking longingly at the red part that belonged to her and the green that was made by Toadia.

"One…two…three!"

Both ladies somewhat enthusiastically hopped onto the mat at the same time, holding each other's hands.

"…Wow…" Koonson drooled. Miles gave him a small tap on the shoulder to snap him out of it. "Oh, um…yeah…sorry. Welcome ta Harborside Cabana, Sparkle Bay."

"Thank you." Toodles and Toadia replied in unison.

"Toodles and Toadia." Miles gave the two a weak smile. "…You're the last team to arrive."

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- Last Place, 4:41 P.M.**

"Tenth…well, we hung in there as long as we could, right?" Toodles asked rhetorically.

"Give us the news, Miles…" Toadia murmured, squeezing her piano teacher's hand tightly.

"I'm…very sorry to inform you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Miles apologized humbly.

"That's quite alright…I feel I can speak for both of us that we're fine with how we did." Toodles murmured.

"We weren't the strongest of the group of teams in anything…it was pretty evident after the first leg who was good at this, and who was good at that. Not once could we have been put under any of those types of mentions, I'm afraid. However…things like that don't really matter to me. We tried our best, and that's all that matters…I gave it one-hundred percent every step of the way…knowing that makes it every memory worthwhile to look back on." Toodles remarked. "I'm very proud to have run this exciting event with my very own piano student, Toadia. Although it didn't really appear that we had a very strong bond until today, we both know that it existed…but now, it's much stronger…and it makes me so happy to know that." (After-Leg Interview)

"I know for a fact that we never really needed the money, even though I live in Poshley Heights in an apartment…still. The adventure in itself was worth it…it made me feel so much like my hero, Luigi…traveling around, exploring…" Toadia seemed to gaze off into the distance for a moment. "But then again…I really realized something about my private teacher, Toodles… In something where we had to work together as equals, we succeeded in cooperating effectively. Never, in my dreams, would I have ever thought I'd ever have such a relationship like that in all my life." (After-Leg Interview)

"Thank you very much for having us…" Toadia said politely.

After exchanging handshakes with Miles and Koonson, the two Toads turned around to depart the pit stop. Before walking up the stairs that led off the beach, the two gave one last look at their magnificent flag, which stood out amongst all the others, which had been replaced into the holes.

Even though it wasn't evening yet, the sunlight in the sky released a beautiful pink hue. In spite of being eliminated from the race, the two members of the eliminated team had found the strongest knot in their bond, never to be untied. They had recognized their friendship, as endless as the sands of time…as endless as the large number of grains of sand resting upon the beach of the city known as Harborside Cabana.

-----

_Leg 3 Special Guest…_

_The special guest for the third leg of the race is none other but the son of previous racers Goldbob and Sylvia—Bub!_

_"Hiya everybody!" Bub exclaimed shyly. "Well...you can't imagine how sad it is for me to see my neighbors leave the race on the same leg that my Mum and Dad did in Season 1…I wasn't even in the race, but I can feel their pain…it's so sad… Oh well…maybe next season… Anyways, the next leg of the race will show the teams that they're in over their heads and that the experience is way bigger than they thought!_

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_For the first time, the two Glitz Pit teams clash."_

"Dude! That ain't cool, yo!" King K. snapped.

"I don't care! Get outta my way!" Flare shoved the Koopa out of his path.

_"Several teams form an alliance in an attempt to get ahead of everyone else."_

"So…it's agreed, then?" Zess questioned.

"Yeah…we're all gonna need it just to survive this time around." Waitress agreed.

"But remember…we don't know when this might have to end." Husband said cautiously.

"It's alright…we can deal with that when the time comes…even if it's later this leg." Toadsworth reassured.

_"And a race to the pit stop between three teams becomes the ultimate nightmare."_

"OH, CRAP! WATCH OUT FOR THEIR CAR!"

"I CAN'T STOP!"

_"All this, and more…on the next episode of the Amazing Race, everyone! See ya!" Bub winked cutely._

-----

Leg 3 Trivia:

- In this leg, the first clue is formatted similarly to that of TTYD 1 Leg 3—a clue instructs the teams to find an area with an envelope and a picture of their next destination. Even more interesting is the fact that all teams backtracked to an area (Broken Pier and Downtown Faire Square) visited in the previous leg. Similarly, a Yield is featured in the leg.

- During the description of the first set of instructions, the speaking host refers to the phrase spoken about the Swap Fest by the workers running it in the game, "almost world-famous, mostly fabulous."

- Smorgo & Smorga's 30-minute penalty for using another team's marked car was applied upon their arrival to the pit stop, forcing them to wait. This is different from how a somewhat similar event in TAR6 was handled, in which the penalty affected the team's departure time. Similarly, they were forced to have another penalty this leg because they picked up a second clue at a route marker. In this case, the penalty was handled the same in TAR6; both teams had to wait for 30 minutes before being checked in.

- The original planned Detour for this leg of the race was "Anchor and Ship" and "Ship and Anchor." The task Anchor and Ship is somewhat similar to this leg's actual Detour choice, Anchor.

- Coincidentally, both Puni teams so far have participated in a Fast Forward that involved food—Punio & Petuni handled a salad in leg one of TTYD1 at Woody Woods, while Pungry & Pungent dealt with fish during this leg. However, while the siblings achieved first place during that first leg, Pungry & Pungent didn't.

- It was originally considered to have a conflict in the leg where one team opened their Mystery before they were supposed to and would have to drive all the way back to Glowflower. However, no appropriate opportunity arose, so it was skipped.

- Unexpectedly, both Poshley Heights teams were eliminated on the third legs of their respective seasons.

-----

Author's Note: Yes, I realize that even though teams on flights were widely separated in times, they all arrived WAY too close together. Sorry for the unreal detail in that—I'm working on it. Anyways…

Getting onto business… I know it's very early in the season, being just the third leg…however; I've already started work on possible teams for the third season of the TTYD race. This is very important that I get any readers that want the third season to commence to get involved, as THE THIRD SEASON OF THE TTYD RACE WILL BE THE LAST! That's right…after TTYD3, no more. There will be 12-15 teams, none including recycled characters from the first two seasons (because that's unfair). The only reason why the third season will be the last is because of the range of characters there are left to work with…very few that are appealing, since they were mostly used up in season 1 (a few noteworthy in season 2). Besides…there's like, no possibility for female teams and it's hard to come up with coed… Currently, I only have fourteen official teams slated to be on the voting roster…

Under coed…

- Gloomtail & Hooktail: Siblings (Palace of Shadow & Hooktail Castle)

- Lahla & Rocko: Parlor Workers (Pianta Parlor)

- Puniper & Puni Elder: Great Tree Citizens (Great Tree)

- Eve & Podley: Former Actors/Possibly Dating (Twilight Town & Rogueport Inn)

- Laki & Romana: Excess Express Enthusiasts (Rogueport Station)

Under female…

- Toce T. & Koopie Koo: Friends (Petalburg)

Under male…

- Grodus & Crump: Former Boss/Worker (Various)

- Dour & Kroop: Senior Citizens (Twilight Town & Petalburg)

- Frankie & Ishnail: Supposed Enemies (Rogueport)

- Vinny & Tony: Brothers (Rogueport)

- Garf & Gus: Brothers/Robbos Members (Rogueport)

- Herb & Wonky: Shop Owners (Rogueport Sewers)

- Blooey & Jerry: Luigi's Partners (Rogueport, Various Areas)

- Cleftor & Master Crash: Minor League Fighters (Glitz Pit, Minor League)

These are teams I'm unsure of entering into the roster…

- Pine T. & Pine T. Jr.: Father/Son (Seen in Pit of 1000 Trials, Currently Thought to Reside in Toad Town)

- Larson & Goomther: Rivals (Rogueport)

- Dupree & Goom Goom: Single Guys (Keelhaul Key)

I have my own reasons for being iffy about including those teams… Possible characters not yet arranged for teams yet include Ghost T., Pennington, General White, Grubba, Heft T., Atomic Boo, Whacka, Bub-ulber, Doe T., Koopook, Swob, Rob, & Fred. If you remember the previous voting ballot, you'd recognize that I've disassembled the Swob & Fred partnership for the possibility of another.

…See that list? There are no girls in it! Sure, there are lots of female characters in the game that are unused, but they pretty much have no given names (Season 2 names such as Queen, Too, To, Waitress, Husband, Wife, Smorgo, Smorga, etc. were given for humorous effect, and are pretty much definitely not the names of the characters.) that are shown to the player. Sure, I could always do what I did with the Smorg and give two random enemies funny names…but it's only because the Smorg were so popular (and so flexible), making them easy to work with. The only character above that has a made-up name is in the train enthusiasts—the girl who thinks that loading platforms are the site of romantic departures at Rogueport Station, she has no name…but since she's into romance and stuff…why not 'Romana?'

Anyways, now that you've seen how much I can blab on a keyboard… If you have any ideas, you can PM or e-mail me…it doesn't really matter. If not, that's okay, too. Just remember…keep this call for help in the back of your mind when you're playing Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door!

REMEMBER! IT'S NOT VOTING TIME YET! JUST SUGGESTIONS :)


	5. Leg 4: Large Problems in Little Race!

Author's Note: Update on 12/12/06...

Just so you all are aware, I've made another change into the chapter system…hopefully it WON'T CHANGE again, because I went against Two's word in the first chapter. I returned back to the old system where the team headings weren't capitalized, mainly because it was a large inconvenience to me, and it didn't look good on-screen. Secondly, I decided to entirely italicize all voiceovers made by Miles/Blaise—there was always one section that was without this detail, and it was the summarizing of the current location and pit stop details at the beginning of each leg.

By the way, to everyone that has played Super Mario Bros. 3 (I think that's the right game) and is reading this, I have never played it and therefore have little idea on how the destination looks first-hand. I had to look at some details from another source…but it wasn't much. So, then…guess what? In the end, I ended up making all the locations just like I did for the third leg (Pipe Land was the same way; I took the name and ran with it).

I'm also aware that last leg some…weird text was at the top. That's a note to self…there were lots of things I corrected in the preview that evidently weren't saved. Oh well; none of them had that much of an impact on the story, I hope…except for spoiling the destination.

**Review Answers:**

**Master Ruck**: Thanks…I'm so glad that a reaction like that was the first one I received. And that team pairing…incredibly genius! Seriously…I would go about Tattling on random citizens at Fahr Outpost and forget about those two…thank you so much!

**llppoo33**: Yeah, I know…I felt so bad having to eliminate The Posh… And um, by the way…it's not voting time yet…right now, I'm just taking team suggestions. Sorry, but you'll have to redo that ballot at a later chapter, when I've finalized all the teams.

**SSBFreak**: It's about time I start returning the favor in reviews when you start cycling out the third edition of your Amazing Race fic…'cuz seriously, you've been reviewing me ever since the Intro of TTYD1. But regardless, thank you so much…

!!!Oh my gosh! They'd be such a great team with such buried friction in their family, but they don't have names!!! NUEEZ! Oh well…time to put on my thinking cap and try to think something up…I think they'd be wonderful racers! You're an awesome scout!

I think I know who you're talking about, but I'd have to deny such a high-standard compliment…heh…

**Yoshi Hoshi**: I really do wonder if an all-female team will make it here like the 'Mer' sisters in TTYD1…and I saw that episode, too…it took 10 whole seasons, but one finally did it!

Flags? Oh, yeah…that sounds like a great project…I'd love to do something like that someday…maybe I will.

Well, we'll just have to see how the Smorg do this time…heheh, they've covered two types of penalties already…lolz.

Oh, thank you…that means so much to me that with all the unrealistic details, it actually seems realistic! As long as I can please at least one person, I'm happy to write…or type…

-----

Loading the Memory Card… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously on the Amazing Race…_

"Finally, we're leaving! This place is an absolute DUMP!"

_Ten teams of two departed the festive town of Faire Square and flew approximately 3,800 miles to the city of Glowflower, Sparkle Bay, spread out upon several different flights._

_A tired Beldam, lost without direction, lost her sanity on the road._

"We've been circling around for practically an hour and I can't even get any decent help! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!"

_Fighting to stay out of last place, Pungry and Pungent forced themselves to eat a meal about their size for a chance at the Fast Forward._

"We gotta hurry if we're to get first with this Fast Forward, ya know…"

"…Right…" Pungry sighed.

_Upon arriving in Harborside Cabana, Toodles and Toadia discovered they'd been Yielded._

"…Oh my gosh…they DIDN'T!" Toadia gasped.

Toadia sighed as she flipped the hourglass over. The Smorg had Yielded THEM.

_At the Roadblock, an angered Husband and Wife argued back and forth._

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU GRIM-FACED IMBECILE! YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING!"

Taken aback, a shocked Husband immediately fumed red.

"LOOK IN THE MIRROR!"

_Making their way steadily through the leg, To and Too eventually overtook the other teams close to the end._

"You're team number ONE!"

"YEAH! YES!"

Laughing harder than ever, To and Too hugged each other before calming down enough for the Yoshi to continue.

_Although the Smorg arrived in eighth, they received some bad news._

"…Unfortunately…because you opened an extra clue envelope back in Glowflower, you will have to serve a thirty-minute penalty before I can check you in." Miles stated somewhat apologetically.

_However, the penalty expired before the teacher-student team could get a chance to catch up._

"I'm…very sorry to inform you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Miles apologized humbly.

"That's quite alright…I feel I can speak for both of us that we're fine with how we did." Toodles murmured.

_Unfortunately for them, they were eliminated._

Sisters Shine on Sands; Posh Ladies Leave

_Now, nine teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is the bay port of Harborside Cabana, one of the major centers of industry, import, and commerce of Sparkle Bay. It is especially known for the redundant theme of extremely strong thatched roofs that cover every single building in the whole town, which have withstood strong gusts, thunderstorms, and even some of the worst hurricanes in history. And at the very edge of the beach stretch of this beautiful seaport is Waterfrontage Mansion. This large property, inherited by a famous surfboarding Koopa from his deceased parents, was the third pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The nine teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_To and Too, who arrived at 3:08 P.M., will depart at 3:08 A.M._

-----

Waterfrontage Mansion looked entirely different at night—most of the lights were already turned off, save a few miniature lawn lamps scattered on the way to the main door. The water from the surfboard fountain in front continued to run, making a gurgle that sounded relatively distant from the entrance of the lot.

The two Toad sisters hopped up and down excitedly on the mat and giggled all the while, as if it was still daytime. They were both wearing their blue denim jackets, and had pink and green shirts under them that matched their respective hair colors. While To was wearing Starman earrings, Too had on small hoops. Although there was a lamppost hanging above the pit stop mat, they'd both been prepared to read in the dark with their headlamps.

**To & Too: Sisters- 1st to Depart, 3:08 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

To eagerly tore the strip off the envelope, reached her hand inside, and pulled out a Route Info folder along with a Smash bill.

"'Drive yourselves back to Glowflower and locate a flight for Heftibulk. From there, travel by taxi to Gargantown and find Soaring Mushrooms. Locate your next clue hidden amongst the items in the mentioned area. "

_Teams must now drive themselves back 21 miles to Glowflower Airport and get on a flight for Heftibulk, the main industrial city of Giant Land, 7,320 miles away. Once there, teams will have to travel by taxi 7 miles to Gargantown, a residential village hidden in the towering forests. They will then have to figure out that Soaring Mushrooms is a specialty store in the area. Inside, they will need to locate their next clue, the nine of which are scattered about and hidden amongst the merchandise._

"'You have 106 Smash coins for this leg of the race.' " To concluded. Shortly after she finished speaking, she joined Too in watching as the Smash bill disintegrated into particles before being suctioned by the team credit card.

"I wonder if what we have right now is going to be enough…" Too mused. "I mean, we're going to Giant Land…I wonder if the taxi prices there are going to be giant."

"They shouldn't be…at least, I hope not." To responded as they walked past the stand with all of the flags from the previous leg.

"I feel that we really showed the rest of the teams what kind of competitors we are. We're in it for the travel and exploration, but hey! There's nothing wrong with coming in first." Too smiled wider. "Even though it felt great entirely taking the lead, we know it won't last forever. So, we'll just make resistance by trying to stay in—not forcefully knocking the others out of the competition." (After-Leg Interview)

Fortunately for all the teams, the group of marked cars had been moved from the area near the watchtower to the lot of the mansion.

"Wait, here's our marked car! Cool!" To exclaimed.

"All right, let's do it!" Too cheered, jumping ecstatically into the driver's seat.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 2nd to Depart, 3:14 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

Unsurprisingly, King K. had refused to take off his sunglasses despite the fact that it was nighttime. However, he was wearing an all-black hoodie that went around the underside of his shell. Andy had exchanged his green robe in favor of a red one, giving him the appearance of a normal Bandit.

" 'You have 106 Smash coins for this leg of the race.' " Bandy Andy finished.

"Four's meh lucky number, man…I think we got it comin' for us this leg." King quipped.

"That'd be nice."

"We've been stayin' up near the top of the group so far…ain't no reason why we can't remain that way, yo. We just gotta be careful 'bout what we do—there's some major competitors prowlin' around at our backs 'cuz they see us as a threat!" King K. stated. (After-Leg Interview)

"Remember where the airport's at?" King asked as he took the wheel.

"Can't say I do…but I bet this map does." Andy joked, taking out the map they'd used the previous leg.

**Husband & Wife: Married- 3rd to Depart, 3:15 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

Both of the Twilighters seemed right at home, basking in the glow of the moonlight. While Husband had on black pants and shirt, Wife had on a purple shirt, blue jeans, and a familiar red bandana on her hair.

"The boys didn't leave too long ago; we can still pass 'em up on the highway back to Glowflower." Husband reminded, giving the two a good reason to jog to the marked cars.

"We both show promise. We HAVE the capability to make first place in a leg…it's just eluded us for a while now. I would love to aim higher and think about the higher three, but it's still so early that we need to worry about what's going on now and focus on not being eliminated early." Wife remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

"I bet it won't matter much when we get there…the airport's probably closed…" Wife muttered, getting into the passenger's seat.

"Don't care." Husband replied. "Besides, an airport don't close just cause it's a lil' dark out. It's just the ticket agencies that do."

"But that's what matters. We need to talk to an agent or something to get tickets; Glowflower Airport ain't got no computers as far as I can remember."

"Shut up and just say I'm right, will you?"

"Of course not, dear."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 4th to Depart, 3:21 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

"It is still so friggin' COLD out here…"

Shivering slightly from the cool tropical air they weren't very used to, Hamma and Flare both crossed their long-sleeve covered arms in an attempt to get warmer. Both of them had on matching hoodies—what was somewhat strange was that they had on the other's shell color—Hamma was wearing a red hoodie, while Flare was wearing a blue one.

"Glowflower Airport…come on, let's get out of here…" Flare quickly slipped the bill close to the card as he walked.

"Sheesh…I seriously don't know how the other teams weren't wearing very much when they headed out here…" Hamma jittered, walking up the steps off the beach.

"We both seriously are hungry for just trying to get a lead over the other teams. Not having first yet is sorta getting to us…" Hamma trailed off. "We're both ticked off, but it's hard to control yourself when you're under such complete and utter stress. What's even worse is that I think we're the most stressed out team right now…" (After-Leg Interview)

"I bet the ticket counters are all closed…it's gonna suck campin' out." Flare complained.

"No duh." Hamma backed the car up.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 5th to Depart, 3:30 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

Neither of the Punis had really changed their appearance, because the only article that could be anywhere close to being considered 'clothing' would've been Pungry's hat.

Pungent cleared his throat. " 'Drive yerselves back to Glowflower…' "

"Needless to say, we were both surprised to hear that we weren't bordering near last at the end of the last leg, although it cost us a Fast Forward. I really think that using it and knowing that we are capable of placing high has given us the incentive to do better than we've been doing." Pungry explained. (After-Leg Interview)

"Time to play catch up for a good spot in the ticket line." Pungry declared, getting into the front seat.

"Yer darn tootin'!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 6th to Depart, 3:41 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

"We've got our cash flow runnin' and our feet doing it too!" Shimi exclaimed as he bounded off the mat.

As the train employees left the mat, it became clear that the Cheep-Cheep was in a sense, naked. He had no hat of any kind on his head. Waitress, on the other hand, had her ponytails braided up into purple spheres on the side of her head. Her attire consisted of a light-yellow T-shirt and black pants.

"Our main focus right now is just trying to concentrate on doing better and not making mistakes. We're going to try and capitalize on our strengths, and also…unfortunately, the weaknesses of the other teams. Any mistakes they make, we'll evaluate and try not to do the same thing. It's all a matter of just basically playing safe." Waitress enlightened. (After-Leg Interview)

"This should be an interesting leg…we're heading to Heftibulk, Giant Land!" Waitress exclaimed, righting the steering wheel.

-----

Although Glowflower Airport was lit from the inside and outside, there were very few cars scattered amongst the parking lot. The surrounding area was relatively quiet, minus the very occasional gust of wind that tickled the large green leaves branching from the palm trees.

The first marked car took one of the many empty spots in a terminal parking lot.

**To & Too: Sisters (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal Parking Lot, Glowflower)**

"It looks closed…"

Getting on their backpacks, the two girls headed towards the rotating doors of the sand-colored airport. To their surprise, they met no resistance, and were able to head inside.

"So…where should we pick a ticket counter from?" To questioned.

"I don't know…maybe we should search the Internet café to find an airline." Too responded. "That sign up there says it's this way."

After a bit of walking, the sisters located the unfortunately closed computer room.

"…Well, that messes up that idea." To sighed. "Um…maybe we should try going to one of the large airlines…you know."

"Since we're going to a large place?" Too giggled. "Not a bad idea…in that case, we should try Mushroom International Airlines."

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal, Glowflower)**

Striding slowly, the two minor leaguers brushed through the rotating doors.

"All the ticket counters are closed…this stinks." Andy observed. "We better try to find a good airline and wait there."

"I'll nod to that…but where'll we get 'em at?" King K. inquired. "We got no way ta search."

"Our best chance is a guess…even though Mushroom International might be good, my gut tells me World Flyer'll have something better."

**Husband & Wife: Married (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal, Glowflower)**

"They have computers…it's just closed for the night." Wife told her spouse.

"Doesn't matter…the point is that everything's closed down." Husband responded quickly. "Besides…we can't do anything if all the options are blocked off."

"Urgh, whatever…" Wife waved him off. "Let's just find some chairs to sleep in for the rest of the night until everything opens, then."

"Right…good idea." Husband yawned, stretching out his arms.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal, Glowflower)**

"Great…where are we supposed to go now? Nothing's open…" Hamma groaned.

"Let's just go to sleep…I'm too tired…" Flare responded. The two plopped down on the closest bench and started snoozing.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 7th to Depart, 4:04 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

It was obvious that the nippy air was getting to the two Toads—both were wearing coats. Under her hat, Zess' gray hair was somehow whisked into a ponytail at the back of her head, and she had on black cotton pants. Interestingly, Toadsworth was wearing identical denims.

" '…From there, travel by taxi to Gargantown and…' "

"Neither of us like to admit it, of course, but we're both starting to feel the long-term physical strain from the race. Nothing serious like injuries or anything like that—just aches and pains here and there… However, we've assured not only each other, but also ourselves, that we're going to continue on and do our best, no matter what." Zess articulated. (After-Leg Interview)

"I've never been to Giant Land before…have you?" Zess queried.

"No, I haven't. This'll be another new place I haven't been to." Toadsworth replied. "Quite a new-fangled experience."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 8th to Depart, 4:08 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

Neither of the ladies wore clothes except for their headgear. Surprisingly, Beldam had decided to stuff it into her pack, leaving her lavender locks to blow around in the breeze. Queen, on the other hand, had manipulated whatever power she had left to bring her long, flowing pink hair closer in to the point where it was shoulder-length. There was no evidence she'd cut it.

"We're still running low, even with this little boost of cash…" Beldam murmured as the Smash bill dissolved into coins that disappeared into the card.

"I'm tired…I want to sleep in a bed…why'd we have to get up so early?" Queen complained, not giving Beldam a chance to interrupt.

"Beldam's not doing enough of the work…I mean, I do everything around here!" Queen whined, stroking her hair and straightening her crown. "I can't believe her nerve…being all optimistic and stuff when I'm the only one doing anything! SHE MAKES ME SO MAD!" (After-Leg Interview)

"Turn on the heater…it's cold in here…" Queen commanded, wrapping her large hands around her body.

A fuming Beldam reached for the dial and instead purposely turned on the air conditioning, which released a cold blast of air into the back.

"YOU BUMBLING IDIOT, WRONG WAY! TURN IT DOWN! MAKE IT WARMER!"

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal Parking Lot, Glowflower)**

"Wow…we actually managed not to get lost on the way here." Pungry joked, pushing through the doors.

"Seriously? Yer kiddin' me…" Pungent rolled his eyes. "My directin' ain't half-bad, ya know…"

Moving through the airport, the two Punis suddenly realized they didn't know where they were going.

"Nothing's open…why are we moving towards the counters?" Pungry asked.

"We're too used to this here race already, bud…be too bad if we gotta go." Pungent sighed. "Better rest up…"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal, Glowflower)**

"It seems way too quiet in this large, echoey place…" Shimi whispered.

"Right…" Waitress said nonchalantly, heaving up her pack higher onto her back. "I wonder what we should do while we wait for everything to open…"

"Everyone else has the right idea…we should get some shut-I and catch a few 'Me's…" Shimi chuckled, causing Waitress to groan.

"Shimi…that was BAD…"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Last to Depart, 4:34 A.M. (Waterfrontage Mansion Entrance Gate, Harborside Cabana)**

In spite of the fact that they didn't wear clothes, the appearance of the Smorg had still physically changed; they'd obtained a few 'souvenirs' that had gotten stuck to their bodies, including a miniature surfboard, sunglasses, a bottle of sunscreen, a sandal, a mango peel, an advertisement for a buggy, and a small picture frame.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Did you notice that the large bouncy ball in the colory thingamajig got washed away?)" Smorgo questioned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Yeah…it looks so clean now, just like a dishwashing dryer.)" Smorga replied.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Did you know that there are mice in some place called calculator?)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I like French fries, tomatoes, and outlet malls!)" Smorga exclaimed. He/she/it then proceeded to hop after a passing fly. (After-Leg Interview)

Hopping up and down slowly, the Smorg seemed to jump in slow motion as they bounced on top of their car, making sizeable dents on the front.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal, Glowflower)**

"Well…it looks like they won't be open until another hour or so…" Zess muttered, looking at the signs in front of all the counters. "What do we do now?"

"I have a feeling that we'll need to do some research to find a good flight…but we can't do that right now. We'll have to wait until the Internet café opens." Toadsworth replied.

"So…"

"We take a nap until then."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal, Glowflower)**

"This stupidly cheap airport is disgusting…it's cold in here, too!" Queen said wincingly.

"Well, sorry…" Beldam said flatly, "but we're not here for comfort. We need to wait until morning until we can get a flight out."

"Gimme your blanket. I'm your Queen, so it is your duty to keep ME comfortable."

"…You're weird."

"HOW DARE YOU!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal, Glowflower)**

The strangest, and most unexpected thing happened when…the Smorg entered the terminal…on time.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Sleet, sleep, and slushie all start with the same burger! You need to go back to physical education if you don't know that!)" Smorga argued.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGS (Nuh-uh! Cousins eat CDs during the winter!)" Smorgo retorted.

**6:30 A.M. (Glowflower Airport Ticket Terminal, Glowflower)**

The first of the ticket counter windows started to open as the shutters started to rise. Only a few teams were waiting, having slept for about two hours in line.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Glowflower Airport World Flyer Ticket Counter, Glowflower)**

"Fo 'shizzle, yo…they're openin'." King K. murmured to a drowsy Andy.

"Wha…really? Well, we better see what they've got…" Andy responded.

**To & Too: Sisters (Glowflower Aiport Mushroom International Airlines Ticket Counter, Glowflower)**

"Hi…um, we'd like to know what the fastest flight for Heftibulk." To told the agent.

"Heftibulk? Okay…let me see…" The agent started typing and clicking.

"I haven't seen any of the other teams yet…" Too muttered. "I wonder where they are?"

"Beats me."

**Husband & Wife / Zess & Toadsworth / Shimi & Waitress (Glowflower Airport Internet Café, Glowflower)**

"The café is open…thank goodness!" Toadsworth exclaimed, walking through the doors.

The three teams each took a seat next to three computers that were adjacent to each other.

"…We've all thought about it, right?" Husband asked expectantly.

"Thought about what? …Oh, right…" Shimi nodded. "Yeah…"

"We're both for it if you guys are," Wife stated. "Of course…we don't all have to."

"But we will." Waitress answered.

"So…it's agreed, then?" Zess questioned.

"Yeah…we're all gonna need it just to survive this time around." Waitress agreed.

"But remember…we don't know when this might have to end." Husband said cautiously.

"It's alright…we can deal with that when the time comes…even if it's later this leg." Toadsworth reassured. "Information in itself can be most useful."

"We decided as a group to cooperatively work together and share information to try and move ahead of the other teams. It might not last very long, but with an alliance, we might be able to get an edge over the others that would've been unavailable had we not done so." Zess T. explained. (After-Leg Interview)

"Wife and I both feel that we can trust our partners, the train workers and the elders." Husband said. "They haven't done anything that we find as unacceptable conduct or anything…it's safe to assume that we're better off working together with them." (After-Leg Interview)

"Here's something…" Waitress remarked, bringing the attention of the group to her monitor.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Glowflower Airport World Flyer Ticket Counter, Glowflower)**

"There's a flight leaving at 9:15 from here, World Flyer…" The agent said.

**To & Too: Sisters (Glowflower Aiport Mushroom International Airlines Ticket Counter, Glowflower)**

"It makes two stops, one in Wreckage Cove and the other at Frappe Snowland."

**Husband & Wife / Zess & Toadsworth / Shimi & Waitress (Glowflower Airport Internet Café, Glowflower)**

"…Before it arrives in Heftibulk at 8:00 P.M." Waitress finished.

"It sounds good to me…is there anything else that's earlier?"

"Yeah…seems like a solid flight."

"…I don't think so." Waitress blinked. "Looks like it's the fastest one there."

"Then that's that. We're heading to World Flyer." Toadsworth confirmed.

**To & Too: Sisters (Glowflower Aiport Mushroom International Airlines Ticket Counter, Glowflower)**

"There's nothing else that connects earlier?" To asked curiously.

"Nope…sorry. That's it."

"Okay, thank you." To and Too replied. The sisters headed off in the direction of a certain other counter.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Glowflower Airport World Flyer Ticket Counter, Glowflower)**

"Cool…"

**(Andy & King- 1st on World Flyer 70)**

"Thanks, man…" Andy said gratefully. "Hopefully this is the earliest flight out and we didn't make a mistake about it."

"Eh…I doubt it, yo…"

**Pungry & Pungent / Shimi & Waitress / Zess & Toadsworth / Husband & Wife / To & Too (Glowflower Airport World Flyer Ticket Counter, Glowflower)**

"I guess we can all get seats on it, seeing that we're all waiting in the same line, huh…" Pungry shrugged.

"Ten seats? Will do…"

**(Pungry & Pungent / Shimi & Waitress / Zess & Toadsworth / Husband & Wife / To & Too- 2nd on World Flyer 70)**

"This is enough teams already…I really, really hope no one else will get on…" Husband shook his head as he walked away from the counter.

"The first thing we should do is find out what Soaring Mushrooms is…we forgot to do that back in the café." Zess realized, ushering the alliance group back towards the room.

"Houston, we got the first official alliance of the race…" Pungent stated sarcastically.

"Oh, that's a cute phrase!" To and Too both giggled.

**Hamma & Flare / Beldam & Queen (Glowflower Airport Koopa Air Ticket Counter, Glowflower)**

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! OW!"

"NEVER, YOU WITCH!"

"I'LL WIN, YOU KNOW! JUST LIKE BACK IN FAIRE SQUARE!"

"NOT THIS TIME!"

Beldam sighed in frustration as her partner struggled to get in the line while fending off the two shoving brothers.

"Well…I might as well take it…this is too much of an earful to bear…" Beldam groaned. "Book 'em."

**(Beldam & Queen- 1st on Koopa Air 188)**

"HAH! Got through before ya!" Hamma exclaimed as he wiggled into the line. He immediately rushed up to the counter, knocked over Beldam, and started sputtering out words.

"WENEEDTICKETSTOHEFTIBULKOFGIANTLANDYOUBETTERHURRYBEFORETHATCROWNEDFREAKAZOIDGETSHERE!"

"Ugh! Manners much…" Beldam said disgustedly. "Queen, come on! I already got the tickets!"

"At least you did something right ever since the start of this ridiculously hectic vacation…" Queen said, brushing her hair.

**(Hamma & Flare- 2nd on Koopa Air 188)**

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Glowflower Airport Luggage Conveyor Belts, Glowflower)**

Once again, the two Smorg found their way into an absolutely free ride: they'd gone to sleep in someone's large luggage…which contained formerly white clothes, now stained with more than just dirt.

"Smorgsmorgsmorgsmorg… (Bunny devoured the pink bubble gum mouse…)" Smorgo murmured sleepily.

"Smorgsmorgsmorg (…Sure, I'd love to take your picture in front of Master Miasma…)" Smorga rolled over.

-----

**(World Flyer 70- Departing at 9:16 A.M.)**

As the plane started picking up speed on the runway, the three-team alliance could be seen sitting in adjacent seats, talking to each other with a map in the hands of Toadsworth. Towards the front of the plane, Andy and King were both enjoying an in-flight breakfast while talking with the dining sisters. Near the back of the aircraft, Pungry and Pungent looked at each other before looking out the window as the wheels of the plane left the ground.

-----

**(Koopa Air 188- Departing at 10:05 A.M.)**

Luckily, the two teams were separated by a reasonably feasible distance. While Beldam ignored Queen's blabber about the color purple, Hamma and Flare were both taking a nap, sleep bubbles protruding from their noses.

-----

_All teams are currently flying to Heftibulk, Giant Land. Connecting through Wreckage Cove and Frappe Snowland on World Flyer 70 are sisters To and Too, possibly dating couple Zess and Toadsworth, homeboys Andy and King, best friends Pungry and Pungent, express workers Shimi and Waitress, married couple Husband and Wife, and yet again, stowaway things Smorgo and Smorga. Scheduled to stop in Kong Island before continuing on to Heftibulk are shadow folk Beldam and Queen, and brothers Hamma and Flare._

-----

True to the name of Giant Land, every last detail of the landscape seemed to be several times larger than what it normally would have been elsewhere—roads, plants, buildings, and even some civilians, although many were tourists or immigrates from out of the area, and therefore, were of normal size (or close to it). Even the airport was giant, its size seemingly on par with that of Mushroom International.

One of the few things that seemed to be at regular size was the sun, which was heading for its position below the horizon. The moon, already in the sky, cast a dim light upon the runway as the first of the two expected planes landed.

**(World Flyer 70- Arriving at 8:14 P.M.)**

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Giant Land International Taxi Pick-Up, Heftibulk)**

"Whoa…these taxis are huge!" King K. gasped upon seeing the line of cabs.

"Wow…um…" Andy had to turn his head up to meet the Paratroopa in the eye. "You know where Gargantown is, right? We need to find Soaring Mushrooms."

"Yeah, I know where it is…hop in."

"Sweet!"

**To & Too: Sisters (Giant Land International Taxi Pick-Up, Heftibulk)**

"Could you take us to Soaring Mushrooms, please?" Too fluttered her eyes sweetly at the large Paragoomba, who nodded.

"…With a discount, of course…" The Paragoomba mumbled more to himself than to the girls.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Giant Land International Taxi Pick-Up, Heftibulk)**

"Dang! My eyes ain't deceivin' me, are they?" Pungent questioned.

"I don't think so…for the Great Tree, though…those things are freakin' huge!" Pungry remarked.

"I don't know if it was because of our small size, but the airport wasn't the thing that majorly scared us…it was the astonishingly humongous size of the taxis…it was unbelievable…our height was nothing compared to the cab at all…" Pungry shook his head in awe, the memory still fresh in his mind. (After-Leg Interview)

"We need to go to Soarin' Mushrooms in Gargantown." Pungent informed the driver.

**Zess & Toadsworth / Shimi & Waitress / Husband & Wife (Giant Land International Taxi Pick-Up, Heftibulk)**

"These taxis are humongous…" Wife gaped.

"We can get over it later, babe—just get in one!" Husband pulled his partner into a cab and slammed the door.

"Make sure we keep up with that taxi in front of us, okay sir?" Waitress requested.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Giant Land International Taxi Pick-Up, Heftibulk)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Take the barter to win the grand prize of trash into the tunnel of shoving shovels!)" Smorgo cheered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Grab-grab machine crab automechanic! Alert! Alert!)" Smorga reported.

"…What the heck are these things…" The Shy Guy taxi driver muttered. "I guess this is where they're going…"

Taking the crumpled and dirty Route Info, the driver was able to find the words 'Soaring Mushroom,' which were circled with grime.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Fire Flower off the starboard bow!)" Smorgo exclaimed, jumping and crashing into the seat in front of him/her/it.

-----

Gargantown, a residential city hidden amongst the towering surrounding forests, seemed quiet enough—it was full of neighborhoods and schools, and there was even a train station running underground. At the corners of the city were several stores that met the needs of the citizens. A taxi pulled up to one of them.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Soaring Mushrooms Parking Lot, Gargantown)**

"Thanks a lot, man." King K. thanked the driver by giving a small tip with the payment.

"Hey, King…look at this." Andy called disdainfully.

The two disgruntled Glitz Pit fighters glanced over the "Hours of Operation" sign on the door, which read "8:00 am to 8:00 pm."

"They're already closed…that sucks." Andy groaned. "Now everyone has a chance to catch up."

Sure enough, a line of taxis could be seen approaching in the distance.

"I guess we're campin' out in the absence of the guy celestials, yo." King shrugged and pulled his sleeping bag from his pack.

"Probably…" Andy nodded. "Look at that…I think we're going to be driving those marked cars tomorrow."

-----

**(Koopa Air 188- Arriving at 9:47 P.M.)**

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Giant Land International Taxi Pick-Up, Heftibulk)**

"Are you sure you know where it is?" Beldam asked. "We just have to be sure and double-check before we waste our money…"

"…Ouch. You know I could flatten you…" The Paragoomba rolled its eyes. "But then again, I'd be fired…but yeah, I know where it is."

"Just shut up and go, you giant brown stinkwad!" Queen roared. "You smell like the trash can I found this bottle of lotion in…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Giant Land International Taxi Pick-Up, Heftibulk)**

"We gotta hurry, man! Wherever this place is, we gotta be there first!" Hamma urged.

"What he said!" Flare pointed at his brother. "Get us there fast and we just might pay you extra!"

A gleam appeared in the Koopa's eye.

-----

**Andy & King / To & Too / Zess & Toadsworth / Shimi & Waitress / Husband & Wife / Pungry & Pungent / Smorgo & Smorga / Beldam & Queen / Hamma & Flare (Soaring Mushrooms Front, Gargantown)**

"You're kidding…they were all here before us?" Flare asked in disbelief. "That ain't cool."

"Tch. It's that late already? Look at 'em! Most of 'em are already asleep again!" Hamma snickered.

"SHUT UP AND LET ME GET MY BEAUTY REST!" Queen shouted loudly. "YOU'RE DISTURBING MY REST!"

"…And you're disturbing ours…" Pungry muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Pretty star took a toilet to the candy shop!)" Smorgo screeched.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (And suddenly, the zeppelin exploded in the moon's glasses, causing a baby shower!)" Smorga added.

"I guess it'll truly be an equal playing field tomorrow morning…" Too whispered to To.

-----

The sun peeked over the treetops, casting a warm light on Gargantown. Following the rules of light, the extremely large shadows of objects in the village branched out in the opposite direction from the horizon.

**8:00 A.M. (Soaring Mushrooms Front Door, Gargantown)**

Not rooted to a pipe at the front door, a Giant Red Piranha Plant pushed open the door of the store using the high bars of the entrance. Seconds after, it dove back underground as the wave of racers flew in and started filtering about the fifteen aisles of mushrooms.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"The clues better not be hidden on the higher shelves of this place…" Pungry said aloud.

"Dang right they better not be…" Pungent agreed as he scoured the row he was on.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"I don't see one here…we need to check the next aisle!" Zess declared.

"Right behind you!" Toadsworth followed his partner.

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 1st (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"Yes!" Wife cheered as she pulled an envelope from a display case. "I knew being in sales was an advantage…"

"Gloat later! Read it!" Husband reminded.

"Oh, right. 'Present the enclosed slip of paper to the clerk at the counter to receive a package of specialty Mushrooms. After doing so, drive yourselves by marked car to Massive Mountain on the outskirts of Gargo Hill and locate your next clue at the teleportation center.' "

_Teams must now drive themselves 58 miles to the relatively small town of Gargo Hill and locate this famous landmark on the outskirts in the rocky landscape, Massive Mountain. Arguably the tallest mountain in the Mushroom world, it is the number one attraction in the Colosso Crescent Mountain Range that divides Giant Land in two. In this small town, teams will need to locate the transportation center to find their next clue._

"Looks like we're going to see just how giant Giant Land truly is." Husband remarked.

"Didn't we see that mountain range on our way over here to this town?" Wife asked. "It was that thing on the horizon, wasn't it?"

"Now that you mention it…I think so." Husband replied. The two shopkeepers rushed up to the front desk, quickly accepted a package of Mushrooms for a small strip of paper with a Mushroom on it, and rushed out the door.

"Hopefully the others will catch up to us on the road." Wife stated as she deposited her pack into the trunk of the 4-by-4.

"There's a map in here, too! Great!"

**Andy & King / Hamma & Flare (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"THERE'S AN ENVELOPE!" Flare shouted. Unfortunately, King K. spotted it at the same time and attempted to reach it before the Fire Brother. "Oh no you don't!"

"Dude! That ain't cool, yo!" King K. snapped as he landed on his shell, the result of being tripped by an outstretched foot. He managed to get up and blockade the aisle.

"I don't care! Get outta my way!" Flare shoved the Koopa out of his path.

"Man, you got some major issues!" King growled.

"Take it easy, K. We'll find another." Andy said warningly, pulling his friend by the arm to another aisle.

"Heh, great job, bro…" Hamma snickered. "So, where are we going?"

"Some place called Massive Mountain on Gargo Hill…" Flare responded. "First, we need to get a Mushroom from the guy at the counter."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 3rd (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I love to take me away into the whistle of toot toot!" Smorga said, knocking over several items on the shelves.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Shovel my path to greatness, you ice cream sundae, you.)" Smorgo congratulated, uncovering the clue envelope among the rubble.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Now what do you suppose we take with this sakura? It isn't blooming season, is it?)" Smorga queried as he/she/it rolled over the clue, resulting in it getting stuck to his/her/its body.

Deciding to roll away, the two Smorg accidentally bumped into the front desk, causing a package of Mushrooms to fall down and get stuck to Smorgo before they spun out the door, leaving the slip near the counter.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4th (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"…Was that the Smorg that just left with a clue?" To raised an eyebrow. "Totally weird…"

"I didn't see." Too shrugged. "Okay, we need to go to Gargo Hill and locate Massive Mountain…that sounds so cool!"

"What's the rest of it say?" To asked.

"Oh, right. Uh…alright, we need to pick up a package of specialty Mushrooms from the clerk up front. Come on!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 5th (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"I'm pawducked that we found an envelope!" Shimi exclaimed. "This is all not so very interesting!"

"…Um…" Waitress gave Shimi a strange look. "…'Present the enclosed slip of paper to the…' "

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 6th (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"Finally…" Beldam sighed as she excavated an envelope from behind a stack of Reverse Mushrooms.

"All these stupid things are packaged! How can I test free samples if I can't eat them?!" Queen cried in frustration.

"…And here I thought you were an intelligent being." Beldam ran her glove through her hair before opening the clue.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 7th (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"A lot of teams already left…we need to make haste." Toadsworth stated, taking out the exchange slip.

"Look at this mess…they clearly don't know how to search without destroying property!" Zess berated upon seeing the pile of merchandise created by the Smorg.

"Thank you." Toadsworth said as the cashier handed over a pair of packaged Mushrooms.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 8th (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"I think we're in last 'gain…we took like a whole friggin' fifteen just to find this stupid thang!" Pungent complained.

"At least it was on the lowest row…" Pungry stated, ripping open the clue. "…A mountain? Great…now we're really in for a treat to emphasize our size…"

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in Last (Soaring Mushrooms Aisles, Gargantown)**

"Crap…everyone's already left…" Andy, aggravated by the situation, kicked at the floor.

"Just ain't my fault I scuffled to try and get one…" King mumbled quietly.

"Yeah, I know…it's not your fault…" Andy shook his head. "Whatever…let's just go."

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married (Giant Land Roads, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Okay…we can't afford to get lost out here, hon…so don't read that map wrong." Wife warned.

"You think I don't know that or somethin'?" Husband asked incredulously. "Tch. It's a one-way path road 'cept for a fork here and there…"

"Like right now?" Wife queried, hitting the brakes as the car came upon a split in the road.

"Take the left."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Giant Land Roads, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

Because of the large time difference between them and the next teams, the two Smorg's erratic driving hadn't affected their placement—they were still in the same position they'd been in when they'd left the shop. Even more surprising, however, was the fact that even though they constantly swerved on the curvy roads, THEY DIDN'T FALL OFF.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Rugby, textbook, swan, and grandfather clock are all my favorite types of pasta-stewed lampshades!)" Smorgo stated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Look out for that tree!)" Smorga screeched. Ironically, there was nothing in front of the car at the moment except for the long road ahead to the mountain.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Giant Land Roads, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Compared to what the Excess Express passes by on the way to Riverside, this is astounding…" Waitress said dreamily as she gazed out the window at the mountain range.

"Really? I don't see what's on specialty about it." Shimi replied nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on the road.

"It's understandable…seeing as your whole life is spent in a cove without windows…" Waitress joked.

"Hey! You know that it has all the supplies I feed to the public!" Shimi retorted. "…I-I mean, give to…oh, never mind!"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Giant Land Roads, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"I really hope we can catch up to the other teams on this road…it's virtually one-way." Zess remarked, looking over the chair at the mountains ahead.

"It's likely we can…" Toadsworth murmured. "I just can't help but wonder if our alliance will hold for even this leg…"

"Oh, is that right?" Zess asked sympathetically. "I think it will, if we can position ourselves right…after all, what would they try to pull? They're good people…they wouldn't do anything like that."

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Giant Land Roads, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Heheh, that's uno marked cars down 'til the top, yo!" King whooped as he maneuvered the marked vehicle around that of the Punis by going on the opposite side of the narrow road.

"Be a little gentler the next time you try to do that, will ya! And please…warn me first!" Andy added, trying to regain his composure after being shifted in his seat.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Giant Land Roads, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Great…now we're in last…" Pungry groaned. "This sucks…"

"We're in quite a pickle, aren't we…no matter; we shall catch up at the clue box!" Pungent shouted confidently.

"Why do that when I can try and keep up right now?" Pungry asked, pushing the gas pedal harder in an attempt to regain second-to-last from the fighters.

-----

Although true to it's name, the word 'massive' seemed a tad of an understatement when applied to its towering subject, Massive Mountain. Reaching up into the highest points of the sky, its top was hidden from view by clouds that spiraled and danced about the peak. Strangely enough, a small settlement was located at the base of this enormous geographical landmark—a town called Gargo Hill, hidden in the rocky landscape of the mountain range.

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 1st (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

Having retained their first-place spot from the store back in Gargantown, the married couple wasted no time in parking the van and rushing out to the front of the teleport building.

"Didn't think we'd need that package of Mushrooms if there were four in there…" Husband muttered. "Roadblock. 'Who is ready to hang in their own faith?' "

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock, that team member will have to take a literally take a leap of faith from the top of Massive Mountain, which by itself, stands at 30,304 feet. After warping to the peak and obtaining a hang glider, the person will jump off the top while accompanied by a certified race official and follow instructions to circle the mountain by hang glider and touch down safely at the base, where they will be reunited with their partner. It can be a terrifying task that will bring the adrenaline rushing, but after doing so, they'll receive their next clue from the instructor._

"Based on that little clue…I don't think I want to do that." Wife declared.

"Why? Scared?" Husband questioned teasingly, opening the card. "…Warp to the…jump and…WHA? By the name of the full moon, are these guys lunatics or somethin'? I gotta hang glide off this humongous thing?"

"…Looks like it…" Wife raised her eyebrows as she read over the instructions. "Um…how about we…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Husband grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace before kissing her on both cheeks. Then, as if in a trance-like state, he walked stiffly into the transport center and hopped into a Warp Pipe.

"…That man is psychic…" Wife whispered, touching the spots where she was kissed gingerly.

**Husband (Massive Mountain Top)**

"D-Dang, it's s-sorta nippy u-up here…" Husband remarked, covering himself as the Warp Pipe spat him out at the summit.

"You get used to it…" A Shy Guy instructor of normal size replied. "Don't get used to it, though…you might want to suit up before you jump."

"…Oh, crap…I don't wanna die!" Husband bawled as he pulled on a set of goggles.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 2nd (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Heck yeah! That's so me!" Hamma bellowed. "Hah, and you think climbin' some stupid tree was brave!"

"Shut up and just do it, already…" Flare rolled his eyes as he shooed his excited brother into the building.

"They have a really weird sense of brotherhood…" Wife noted to herself.

**Husband / Hamma (Massive Mountain Top)**

As Hamma jumped out of the Pipe, Husband was putting the finishing touches on his safety gear—a pair of Velcro gloves.

"All right…looks like you're good." The Shy Guy nodded. "So…ya ready?"

"No…" Husband whimpered.

"Heh, I'll be happy to go in front of ya if you're chicken!" Hamma laughed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 3rd (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Mashed potato wacky bear stuff arrow pinch penny!)" Smorga cheered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I once had a dream about taking a palm tree to dinner at a barnyard!)" Smorgo said randomly.

Wife and Flare watched wordlessly as the two Smorg jumped in unison on their way into the transport center. Although Smorga landed in the Warp Pipe, Smorgo kept going and ended up ricocheting off the wall and back outside, where he/she/it then proceeded to ram into a rock.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I love you like myself…did you know that, my turtledove of flags?)" Smorgo asked, making an odd smooching noise as he/she/it touched the rock.

**Husband / Hamma/ Smorga (Massive Mountain Top)**

"This one's all suited up and ready to go after yours is!" A Shy Guy with a feminine voice announced as Smorga jumped into her arms.

"What?! No way! I got here first!" Hamma replied angrily.

"Yeah, but you're not ready…" The Shy Guy answered sassily. "Besides…I look forward to seeing how this thing'll hold on to the glider…"

Standing only a few meters away from the edge, a jittery Husband gulped.

"You're free to go whenever you want…" The Shy Guy reminded. "…Come on…it's not that bad. You'll see."

"Can't I close my eyes?" Husband asked.

"Well, you can…but you have goggles. Why not enjoy the view? Okay, we'll run and take off on three, alright?" He paused long enough to get a nod from the Twilighter. "One…two…THREE!"

Taking a running start, the two stepped off and were suddenly airborne as the wind caught their glider.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FLYING WITHOUT A LIFE SHROOM IN CASE I HAVE A HEART ATTACK!" Husband yelled.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Wow…you're lucky that you get to do it, Too." To remarked, brushing back her pink hair.

"Lucky? I really hope that my luck won't run out when I land, then." Too giggled a bit before turning serious. "Um…I love you, sis…"

"…Same here!"

After a quick hug, Too headed inside the structure and hopped into the Warp Pipe.

**Hamma / Smorga / Too (Massive Mountain Top)**

"Go!"

To the instructor's surprise, Smorga seemed latched onto the bar of the hang glider.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I feel like a penguin gliding through space!)" Smorga chirped.

Shortly after Smorga and the female Shy Guy had taken off, Hamma and his instructor made their running start before stepping off.

"WHOA! THIS IS SO COOL!" Hamma shouted above the roar of the wind.

"YEAH, I KNOW!" The Boomerang Bro instructor laughed as his hair blew about his face under his helmet.

**Husband (Hang Glider Descent)**

"Try to control how you're leaning!" The Shy Guy directed. "Good!"

"I FEEL LIKE AN ANGEL FLOATING DOWN TO MY OWN ANGEL ON EARTH!" Husband laughed heartily.

"The way you could just take control of how you…you flew down…it was so amazing, because it felt just like you were a creature, born to be fly… And now I look back on it, and I think to myself… 'That was the most awesome thing I've ever done!' " Husband exclaimed. (After-Leg Interview)

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 5th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Well…I guess I have to deal with this…" Waitress licked her lips and patted her purple locks. "Be back in a few, Shimster."

"Eheh…uh, be careful hanging for your life!" Shimi called out helpfully as his partner disappeared into the Warp Pipe.

"I really hope Husband didn't chicken out." Wife stated aloud to the others. "That would be stupid if someone stalled up there."

"Tell me about it…if Hamma did it, he'll be the laughingstock of the Glitz Pit and then some…that height ain't nothin' compared to that of Glitzville." Flare remarked.

"Um…this mountain is taller than the altitude that Glitzville floats at." To informed the Fire Bro.

"…Uh…sure! Yeah, I knew that! Just joshin' ya, seein' if you knew!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 6th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Roadblock. 'Who is ready to hang in their own faith?' " Beldam read. "That's Queen…she doesn't have any faith, so she's better off doing it.

"WHAT? HOW DARE YOU, YOU INSOLENT, UNTHOUGHTFUL, RUDE LITTLE—oh! Hang gliding, my favorite!" Queen piped. "Well…I'll forgive you this once…"

"Tch. Whatever." Beldam waved her off and watched blankly as Queen slid into the Warp Pipe.

**Too / Waitress/ Queen (Massive Mountain Top)**

"YEAH-HAH!"

Too squealed with delight as her green hair flapped about her head.

"See, isn't this great?!" The instructor, a Paratroopa queried.

Back on the summit, Waitress quickly rushed to get her gear on, while Queen…took her time.

"It feels so awkward being up here as queen of the world with no one to rule but this one mere purple-haired peasant…but alas, it'll have to do…" Queen muttered with disgust as she pulled on her goggles.

Waitress made a face. "You wish…"

**Wife / Flare/ Smorgo / To / Shimi / Beldam (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Hey…I think I see someone's body—er, somebody coming down through the clouds!" Shimi exclaimed, raising his fin towards the sky.

Sure enough, within seconds, a hang glider became identifiable.

"It's…wait, who is that?" Beldam queried.

"Are you serious?!" Wife shrieked with joy. "Husband, get down here!"

Cheering while jumping up and down, Wife eagerly started screaming gibberish about how Husband had always been mortified of mountains.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 7th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Everyone's waiting for their partners to finish this task, so please try to hurry…" Zess urged.

"Yes, I know." Toadsworth nodded reluctantly. He turned to head towards the building, but stopped as Zess started to stammer.

"O-Oh, one m-more th-thing…" Zess rubbed her elbow. "I j-just w-wanted to s-say that…well, I…uh…I-I…"

"YES!"

The two Toads looked over at the center of commotion before realizing they were losing time. With a quick wave of the hand, Toadsworth was off and headed for the Warp Pipe.

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 1st (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"I can't believe you did that!" Wife screamed happily, running across the road to hug Husband before he'd even touched the ground.

"I can't, either!" Husband revealed. He quickly threw off his goggles and gloves before accepting the envelope from the instructor. "Thank you very much, sir."

"So…where are we going now?" Wife looked over her spouse's shoulder.

"Detour," Husband began. " 'Living Large or Shrinking Small. What effect does size have on your life?' "

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have a choice between Living Large and Shrinking Small._

_In Living Large, teams need to navigate themselves back through the Colosso Crescent Mountain Range 68 miles to this place on the edge of Giant Land: Tantia Lake, where they will need to ingest their 3X Mega Mushrooms. After doing so, they will both need to follow the river's path 4 miles down to this cascading wall of water, Grande Falls. After jumping down the comparatively small cliff to the waters below, they will need to scour the pool for an envelope buried in the sand. Once they've found one, they will be allowed to run back to their marked cars through the forest path and ingest the 3X Mini Mushrooms to return to normal size._

_In Shrinking Small, teams need to backtrack 52 miles to this city, Big Boldrage, and locate Minimania Maze. Using their 3X Mini Mushrooms, they will need to navigate the claustrophobic chambers and corridors of this Mini Mushroom testing site, which is the size of a soccer field, to find this clue box located deep in the heart of the labyrinth. To provide help to the teams, both the clue box area and the exit have been marked with flagpoles to aide the teams to the destination. However, teams will have to deal with different Roadblocks that they'll discover upon entering the maze. Once out, they'll be allowed to head back to their marked cars, and eat the 3X Mega Mushrooms to go back to normal._

"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's enclosed spaces…but then again, running a whole four miles and back sounds like an awful lot…" Wife muttered.

"I think we should do Living Large, as long as the miles aren't measured in the standards of the giants…or else we'll be dead." Husband concluded abruptly.

"…That's nice, dear." Wife stated sarcastically. Knowing full well their lead would soon be rushed, the duo ran back to their 4-by-4 and headed out of the area.

**Toadsworth (Massive Mountain Top)**

"I'm ready to take off now…" Toadsworth informed the Goomba, who nodded.

"Well, hold on tight…I know I'm going to." The Goomba warned. "…Somehow…"

**Waitress (Hang Glider Descent)**

"Oh my gosh, I feel like some kind of awesome!" Waitress gushed. "This is SO cool!"

**Queen (Hang Glider Descent)**

"Ho-hum. Even the scripted battle with Mario was more exciting than this…" Queen yawned, causing her instructor to give her an odd look.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 2nd (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

For some reason, Smorga's hang glider landed perfectly—most likely the result of the instructor doing all the work.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I have come in peace, you lucky dog you!)" Smorga exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Take my hand in marriage, would you?)" Smorgo asked.

Bouncing off harmoniously with a clue stuck between their bodies, the Smorg jumped into the marked car. Literally. They left a dent in the back.

"How'd those stupid things beat…" Flare trailed off. "Hamma, you suck!"

The other team members dove out of the way as the marked car of the Smorg crashed out of the lot and back onto the road, missing Flare by inches. Somehow, he didn't even seem to notice.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 3rd (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

When Hamma's hang glider came floating in, it was obvious that Flare wasn't all too happy—in fact, smoke was escaping from his nostrils.

"You freakin' took forever, dude! Those two…two…THINGS beat us outta here!" Flare yelled, a bit of fire escaping from his mouth.

"Well, sorry!" Hamma raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't help much that that thing had its instructor doing all the work."

Hamma took the envelope and handed it to Flare while he took his gear off.

"…Detour…oh, great. We're gonna be using those mushrooms…" Flare remarked. "I'd rather be livin' large than being small any day…come on!"

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 8th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

Managing to keep their lead over the Punis, the two Glitzville teams passed each other on the way in/out of the lot. Fortunately, they avoided making eye contact.

"Roadblock. 'Who is ready to hang in their own faith?' " King read. "Dude, that's gonna be me!"

"Well, okay…" Andy trailed off after seeing the rest of the description. "…Man, that's unfair. You get to hang glide? I've never done that before…"

"So what, yo? Dog, you took the zipper downtown at the Shroom City, remember?" King reasoned as he ran off towards the building.

"Yeah…that's right…" Andy sighed. "…Huh? Hey, wait! You did that Roadblock!"

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Darnit…last to the route marker…" Pungry groaned. "It's a Roadblock…"

"I'll be takin' this one for the team, bud!" Pungent volunteered after scanning the brief hint provided on the paper.

"Well, I can't exactly complain…" Pungry shrugged. "Go ahead…"

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Detour. Living Large or Shrinking Small. 'What effect does size have on your life?' " To read. "This sounds like a potential toughie…"

"Here, let me see." Too said, pulling off the last of the safety gear. "…Um…I think we should do Shrinking Small. Where'd the other teams go?"

"As far as I know, they were heading to Living Large." To replied.

"Well, we don't want to contend with them…especially if they're giant." Too giggled. "So, we'll just have to hope we can do that maze."

After making their decision, the sisters hopped into their marked car and drove out.

**King (Hang Glider Descent)**

"OH YEAH, BABY! I BET G-MONEY'S GOT NOTHIN' ON A LEAP LIKE THIS!" King yelled to the wind.

**Pungent (Hang Glider Descent)**

"It's times like this I really wish I did know how to fly!" Pungent quipped.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 5th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

While Waitress was forced to make another spin around the base to land safely, Queen managed to position the hang glider to land in front of her partner.

"That has got to be the most BORING thing I've ever done in my whole life…" Queen mumbled. "Give me that!"

"You need to unsuit before you open that!" Beldam argued.

"Shush. I'm reading." Queen said, trying to take off the hang gliding gear with one hand while keeping the clue in the other. "Detour…Living Large or Shrinking Small. Do they think we're crazy or something? I wanna go large after being de-sized!"

Throwing off the rest of the equipment, the Shadow Queen followed Beldam back to the marked car.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 6th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Oh my goodness, Waitress! You're not alive! I mean, you are alive!" Shimi exclaimed, floundering over to his friend as she touched down.

"Yeah, I know! That was so much fun!" Waitress exclaimed. "Open this while I get all this stuff off…"

"Will do." Shimi complied. "Detour. Living Barge or Stinking Small. 'What effect could ties have on your strife?' "

"…That didn't sound right. Here, let me see it." Waitress decided. "…Shimi, once the race is over, we're going to get you speaking lessons."

"…Eheh…sorry…" Shimi blushed.

"I think we should go for Living Large…after all, you're great in water, right?" Waitress asked rhetorically.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 7th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Oh, my! That was certainly exhilarating!" Toadsworth huffed. "Never have I…oh, wow!"

"That great, huh?" Zess smiled. "Let's see… Detour…oh, this won't do…both involve trying to outrace everyone else on foot…"

"It's a shorter drive to Shrinking Small, apparently." Toadsworth observed. "It's our best chance."

"If you say so…I agree wholeheartedly." Zess replied.

"We both realize that our greatest strength comes from logic, cooperative work, and thinking. There's no point in us trying to muscle out against other teams, as we most likely wouldn't be able to do it. That's why we always try to opt in avoiding physically demanding tasks…they might not work out for us, especially in competition against others that could beat us at it." Zess explained. (After-Leg Interview)

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 8th (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

Landing neatly, King K. quickly unsuited and joined up with Andy as he opened the envelope to find the Detour.

"Living Large or Shrinking Small. 'What effect does size have on your life?' " Andy read. "Okay, this sounds a bit tough…"

"Got that right, dawg." King nodded. "What's our course of action and reaction?"

"Well…I think we have a better chance of plowing by everyone at the river, but we could also use our skills to find the clue in the labyrinth…"

"Got it covered!" King responded as he flipped a Smash coin. "Large heads, small tails!"

The coin landed on heads.

"Alright…so we're doing Living Large, then." Andy confirmed. "You seem to always find your way out of these kinds of things so easily…"

**Punrgy & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Massive Mountain Base Transport Center, Gargo Hill)**

"Oh, man…what the heck is keeping him up there to take so long?" Pungry questioned longingly as he glanced at the clock in the car.

"Nothin'…I've been waitin' for the welcomin' committee." Pungent remarked, getting into the marked 4-by-4. "Been sittin' pretty to wait for you…didn't know where you were hidin'."

"…THAT'S JUST GREAT…" Pungry said dryly. "Urgh…whatever. Just open it…"

"Detour…Living Large or Shrinking Small… What effect does—"

"We can live with being small…we're used to it, so let's take advantage of it!" Pungry determined, pushing the gas pedal and sending an off-guard Pungent into the back of the car.

-----

Big Boldrage, under regular standards, was a normal city, minus the fact that everything was oversized. Its only major difference that set it apart from the rest of the cities in Giant Land was that it was entirely encircled by the rock of the Colosso Crescent mountains, and there was a large rock jutting out of the center of town that towered above the other buildings.

In the eastern side of the town, on the far end from the main entrance, was the Minimania Maze, a large covered and enclosed building that held the testing site for Mini Mushrooms. A single marked vehicle pulled up to the structure.

**To & Too: Sisters (Minimania Maze Parking Lot, Big Boldrage)**

"There's no one else here yet…that's a great sign!" To breathed a sigh of relief.

"I guess now we eat our Mini Mushrooms and enter that marked…entrance." Too remarked, getting out of the car. The two Toads looked at a small door on the side of the building with a flag hanging over the entrance.

"Yeah…" To shrugged as she took her mushroom from the package. "Um…to being small people in this large world?"

After raising up their Mushrooms, the sisters ate them. Immediately, their size changed dramatically to about a fourth of what it had previously been. As a result, the giggle they both emitted was EXTREMELY high-pitched as they jumped onto the sidewalk and headed into the building's maze.

"WHOA!"

"…How're we going to get through this?!" Too shrieked.

Being decreased to one-fourth size didn't help the fact that the roof seemed to be as far away as space. The walls surrounding the entrance alone were tall and very intimidating, at least five times higher than the tops of the girls' heads. They noticed that the walls around the access as well as the floor glowed with a calm, inviting shade of green. In the distance was a beam of light that stretched up to the faraway roof that glowed with a tantalizing ocean blue. Various shapes seemed to filter through it, seemingly from a nearby projector. In spite of all of the pretty and interesting details about the maze from just entering, the sisters had noticed four signs labeling four pathways that led into the start of the labyrinth. They were labeled "Thwomps," "Whomps," "Pitfalls," and "Amps."

"I really hope those signs don't mean what I think they mean…" To shuddered.

"Let's just pick one and go…" Too quickly said. She ran in through the one labeled "Whomps," with her sister in tow.

-----

The very edge of Giant Land was on the edge of the landmass touching the ocean. Running from Tantia Lake down to the great blue sea was the Tanita Tributary, which first passed through a large drop off the face of a cliff, forming Grande Falls—a 304 foot plummet down to a clear lakebed that continued on through the wild forests of the Colosso Crescent region.

Because of its fame as a spectacular fishing area, Tantia Lake's resulting tourism had forced civilization to create a road leading from the closest city. Along this road was the first of several marked cars en route to the large part of the Detour.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Tantia Lake Parking Area, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Park it!" Wife commanded.

Running out of their marked 4-by-4 with Mega Mushrooms in hand, the wedded Twilighters stampeded onto the marked dock of the lake.

"Bottoms up, babe…" Husband pinched his nose and ingested the Mega Mushroom, followed by his partner.

A few seconds after eating the teal-colored fungi, the two felt an odd quaking in their bodies before they grew to four times their usual size. Stepping off the sturdy cement pier into the water, the two gave off a low-pitched murmuring.

"My clothes are going to be SO wet…this stupid lake is at least 200 feet deep, I swear…" Wife complained, the water reaching from her chest down.

"Quit griping…we need to swim to where it's shallow, then…" Husband said.

Wading through the waters of the large lake, the enlarged couple quickly found that the lakebed rose. Eventually, as they started down the river, the water was only a small bit under ankle high, resulting in the feel of the path just being a really wet, really rocky trail.

"So this is what it feels like to be a giant…" Wife murmured, breaking into a jog.

"Here comes a marked car, babe…we need to get some ground on 'em!" Husband stated, motioning towards a marked car speeding along the road towards the parking lot of Tantia Lake.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Tantia Lake Parking Area, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Dude! Did you see the size of those two?" Hamma asked disbelievingly.

"Well, duh…they're pretty hard to miss." Flare muttered sarcastically, pulling the car into a parking spot. "They're going pretty slow, man…I bet we can catch up."

"Probably."

Getting out of their marked car, the Hammer and Fire Brothers took their Mega Mushrooms up to the pier before tossing them in the air and eating them. Like before, they quaked momentarily before growing to gargantuan proportions.

"DUDE!" the two exclaimed at the same time, laughing.

"Dang…this is even better than what a Power Punch does to ya!" Flare remarked, jumping into the water.

"Oh, geez, this water is cold…" Hamma said, gasping as he entered the lake. Scrambling about, the brothers made their way out to the river where they proceeded to make chase to Husband and Wife.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Minimania Maze Parking Lot, Big Boldrage)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Great hairstyle, my bald eagle…)" Smorgo said wooingly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You disgust your own digestion, freak.)" Smorga mumbled.

Eating their Mini Mushrooms, the Smorg shrunk before jumping out of the window of their marked car. Then, they rolled up to the sidewalk and through the door of the maze.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Take this computer and eat it, too!)" Smorgo cheered.

Continuing to roll, the two Smorg rolled through the pathway labeled "Thwomps." After bouncing off a few walls, the two were immediately squished by a Thwomp that crashed down from overhead.

"Hurr, hurr, hurr…I luv my job…" The Thwomp slurred, levitating to let the two Smorg out.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Never in my life have I literally felt so minuscule…" Toadsworth remarked upon entering the maze.

"Indeed…" Zess concurred. "I wonder if there are other teams already here…OH, WATCH OUT!"

Toadsworth jumped aside as the tile he'd been standing on crumbled, revealing a hidden pitfall that led to the unknown.

"Goodness…what kind of challenge is this?!" Toadsworth stammered, holding his hand to his chest. "I nearly had a heart attack!"

"We just need to watch out…that trap was well hidden until it started shaking." Zess noted. "We need to keep moving towards that light."

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Minimania Maze Parking Lot, Big Boldrage)**

"This isn't really anything new…we just got a bit smaller, that's all…" Pungry remarked dryly, pushing through the door into the building.

"Dang! You'd think they'd put the Great Tree in here or somethin'! They got more than enough space to do that from our size!" Pungent said, lifting an eyebrow.

"Heh, right…"

The two Punis (literally, they were even punier than ever) chose to head through the path labeled "Amps."

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Tantia Lake Dock, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"This'll be just like old times…" Queen said, making a great deal out of eating the Mushroom messily.

"You're such an animal…" Beldam remarked as the two grew.

Extending their shadows into the water, the shadow folk were able to keep their upper bodies dry as they floated along the lakebed.

"This underwater terrain feels so uneven…" Beldam observed. "I hope I don't trip…"

"Quit whining so I can hear myself think!" Queen commanded, her low voice booming with enough force to cause small waves to form on the surface of the water.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Okay…by my standards, this is just a nice, brisk jog…"

Breathing roughly, the Twilighters slowed down to a walk as they continued downriver, their shoes creating mini tidal waves in the water as they went.

"Babe, come on! Those boys are coming up on us and coming up quick!" Husband warned.

"Don't you think I know that?" Wife answered sharply. "I'm tired, hon! That's all. I can keep going…"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Oh, man…another dead end!" To groaned in frustration.

"We can wait for this one to move…it looks like the path its guarding leads somewhere." Too stated.

Soon enough, the Whomp blockading the sisters' chosen path switched positions to block another path, leaving the girls free to move on.

"We're getting closer…" To remarked. As she said that, the two passed by a yellow sign that had a picture of a piece of breaking wood on it.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Whoa, crap!"

Pungent fell back as the snickering Amp came closer towards him, crackling with charged electricity.

"I guess safety wasn't one of the primary concerns when this task was created!" Pungry yelled out as the Amp made chase to him and his partner.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Oh, my back…"

Zess groaned as she rubbed her spine after narrowly jumping out of the way of a collapsing pitfall.

"We're going to have to stop trying to escape these at some point…this is getting way too tedious." Toadsworth remarked.

"Yeah…but then what happens…what if we—AACK!"

Screaming wildly, the elderly Toads grabbed onto each other for dear life as they both fell through another pitfall. After a few seconds of falling, they found themselves back on solid ground. A tunnel had deposited them on a side of the labyrinth.

"…That explains a lot." Zess whispered.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Baseball is so much fun when party checkers takes the cake and lights its fuse!)" Smorgo laughed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You can take my grandbook and form your statue, you cuddly bear you!)" Smorga replied.

Bouncing aimlessly, the Smorg didn't seem to notice that they had exited a Thwomp section and were entering an area of Amps.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, exercise is bad for your breath because—uverblifbbershnubber!)"

Having unexpectedly bumped into a wall of static, the two Smorg were repelled from passing an Amp and were pushed back. After their bodies stopped glowing, they appeared fine. A little shaken and fuzzy in appearance, but there appeared to be no harm done.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I love being a Japanese soldier in the army of toy soldiers…it makes me feel all grown up!)" Smorgo remarked.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Tantia Lake, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"I feel left at home in this water!" Shimi remarked, swimming expertly towards the river mouth.

"That's nice for you…" Waitress said wryly. "I'm so happy…"

Upon reaching the shallow section of the lakebed, Chef Shimi started flopping along.

"Wow, it feels so weird…it's so rugged!" Waitress remarked.

"Ouch! Ow! Tell me about it!" Shimi complained. "OWIE! That was a sharp—ow—rock!"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Giant Land Roads, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Okay…this completely and utterly sucks." Bandy Andy bellowed.

"Tch. That ain't gonna describe nothin'…complete understatement, dude." King took off his sunglasses.

Reluctantly heaving out their jack from the back of their car on the side of the road, the two Glitzville fighters glumly looked at their marked 4-by-4, which had a flat tire in the front.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Seriously, could you go any slower?"

"Man, shut up! You're the slow one!"

Jogging along at a steady pace, the two brothers were quickly gaining ground on the team ahead of them. Judging from their breathing, they weren't planning on stopping.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Oh, man...this is such a drag…" Husband said, running his hand through his hair.

"Tell me about it…" Wife squirted some water into her mouth. "I hope we don't have much longer to go…"

"I don't think so…but it's hard to tell since this stupid thing makes so many twists and turns…" Husband grimaced as he stumbled over a rock jutting out of the water. "OH, CRAP!"

"Babe, are you okay?!" Wife gasped, rushing back to help her partner up.

"Er…yeah…" Husband groaned as he stood up. "Come on…I can see the helmets of those two now! We gotta go!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Will you hurry up, you slowpoke? You're moving slower than usual!" Queen boomed.

"How the heck is that possible? I'm in front of you, and you're trailing!" Beldam responded agitatedly.

"It just is, now shut up!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Okay…this…is…torture!" Shimi complained. "OW! These rocks are hurting my stomach…"

"Maybe we should've gone to the other task…" Waitress murmured. "But we'd lose too much time heading back, you know…"

"Yeah, I know…"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Another Whomp…there are so many of these things! Why can't they just up and disappear?!" Zess shouted, kicking at a Whomp with her foot.

"Calm down!" Toadsworth ordered. "Come on, we're very close to the center now…the light is just up ahead."

The Whomp moved, allowing the two Toads to progress through another pathway.

**To & Too: Sisters (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"EEK!"

Shrieking, the two sisters dove to avoid a falling Thwomp.

"WHAT THE HECK?! Are they trying to kill us or something?" Too exclaimed dubiously.

"Tch. I bet…this place seems rigged." To remarked.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Okay…I think we lost that Amp…good…" Pungry gasped to catch his breath as he moved along.

"Come on, Pungry! We gotta keep chuggin'!" Pungent urged. "Sounds like there're other teams 'round here!"

"Yeah, I know, but—WAH!"

A pitfall dumped the two Punis at a spot farther away from the clue box than where they'd previously been.

"DANGIT!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Print this exemption for your time!)"

Tackling the electricity wall, the two Smorg seemed unaffected by the static. Even more amazing was the fact that the Amp seemed to have lost its smirk and was struggling to keep the charge up.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Do it again!)" Smorga roared, butting the wall and receiving a slight jolt.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Confusion dance of fury!)" Smorgo said enthusiastically.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Giant Land Roads, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"We're back on the road, now…but we lost way too much time just replacing that tire..." Andy groaned exasperatedly.

"Think we'll make and catch up to the others, yo?"

"We better, or else we're done for…"

-----

**Husband & Wife / Hamma & Flare (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

At this point, the brothers were running up on the Twilighters as the water in the river started to move faster, crashing against rocks.

"It's gettin' slippery, hon…be careful." Wife protested, holding onto Husband's shoulder for support as she carefully placed her feet.

"Here's the falls!" Hamma noticed, seeing the water suddenly drop off.

"Let's jump it!" Flare hooted.

Running past Husband and Wife, Hamma and Flare were both about to jump off the cliff…until they slipped on some of the rocks right on the edge of the falls and ended up falling unceremoniously into the pool below with a large splash.

"Well…we have to jump, too…but not like they did." Husband said.

Holding hands, the two made a small bunny hop and dropped wordlessly, landing on their feet in the waters.

"Wow…this water is a bit deeper…so now we have to search the bottom for a clue?" Wife asked.

"I think so…start diggin'." Husband commanded, reaching down into the dirty waters to touch the bottom. "I think they're buried underneath these rocks…not just located on the top, waitin'."

"I reckon so." Wife replied.

"Come on, bro…we gotta beat them so we can win this leg!" Hamma said, a glint of greed in his eye.

"Don't you think I know that?" Flare quipped, clawing at the rocks under the surface of the water.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 1st (Minimania Maze Center Circle, Big Boldrage)**

Jogging briskly, the two Toads excitedly jumped for joy as they discovered that their path emptied into the center of the labyrinth where the clue box was, enveloped in a blue light.

"Yes! Thank you, oh great pitfall!" Zess joked, raising her hands to the ceiling. The pair ran up to the clue box, which had been downsized to their height.

"Let's see…" Toadsworth ripped open the envelope to pull out a bit of Route Info, as well as a picture of a large statue. " 'Make your way back to your marked car and return to normal size before driving yourselves back to the city of Heftibulk, where you will need to locate the area shown in the included picture, the location of your next clue.' "

_Teams must now make their way back to their marked cars and have staff of the areas feed them the respective Mushrooms to return them to normal size. After doing so, they will need to drive approximately 42 miles from both Detour points back to the city of Heftibulk and search for the statue indicated to them by a picture included with their information, the Power-Up Bust. This amazing work of art features all of many power-ups and items known to the region, and has stunning renditions of the Super Leaf, Raccoon Suit, Tanooki Suit, Hammer Brothers' Suit, P-Wing, Jugem's Cloud, Starman, Super Mushroom, and Fire Flower. Here, at the base of this intricate sculpture, teams will find their next clue._

"Alright…we're nearing the end." Zess remarked. "Now we just need to get out of this crazy place…"

"We should try following the outside path back to the entrance if possible…or take a bargain with the pitfalls." Toadsworth added.

"I'd rather take my chances with the outside than bust my butt from another pitfall, Toadsworth." Zess informed her partner.

**To & Too / Pungry & Pungent (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Hey, guys! Didn't expect to find you two here…" To trailed off.

"Yeah…we've been here for quite a while now…no luck in finding that clue. Got it yet?" Pungry asked hopefully.

"Sorry, we haven't found it yet either." Too shook her head. "Hey, we could work together to get to it if you guys want."

"Sure…my achin' back's up for anythin' as long as we're gettin' outta here soon…" Pungent agreed.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 2nd (Grande Falls Pool, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Yeah-hah! Got one!" Flare cheered, excavating an envelope wrapped in a plastic bag from underneath the rocks.

"Come on, we can open it on the way back to the marked car!" Hamma said, standing up. The two brothers quickly rushed off.

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 3rd (Grande Falls Pool, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

About a minute after the two ahead of them were gone, the Twilighters dug a clue from under the stones.

"Good…now we can get to the pit stop…I'm in a need for dry clothes…" Wife muttered, trying unsuccessfully to squeeze the water from her shirt.

"We'll change at the car, babe…but first we gotta play some catch up to the boys. Come on!"

"I'm coming; hold your horses!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"It's coming up ahead! There's the drop-off!" Beldam said excitedly.

"Will you be quiet? Your useless babble is distracting my attention from the glorious blue sky."

Queen unknowingly floated right up to the edge of the falls, resulting in her shadow having to extend like a flexible elastic band all the way down to the pool below.

"Quit yanking on my shadow, Beldam! I—uh-oh." Queen screamed as her shadow pulled her down.

"…I think your IQ is lesser than that of Marilyn…" Beldam muttered.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Tantia Lake, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

Treading water as they made their way over to the mouth of the lake, the two Glitz Pit fighters moved with a sense of urgency.

"We're in last place, man…we gotta step it up to stay in!" King K. reminded his partner.

"I know that, dude…" Andy responded. "Hey, it's getting shallower now…awesome, we can make up time by running!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 4th (Minimania Maze Center Circle, Big Boldrage)**

"Ugh…such defiance…how'd they break my wall…" The Amp groaned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ooh eeh ooh aah aah!)" Smorga crowed, jumping on top of the clue box. He/she/it seemed to lift the lid and take out an envelope, which got stuck to his/her/its body.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I spy a bang bang boom boom in the northwest side of Uranus!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

Bouncing away, the two Smorg hopped right on top of a pitfall that broke seconds after they passed by. They seemed to have no idea that they were heading away from the direction of the exit.

**To & Too / Pungry & Pungent (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"It's got to be around here somewhere…I just hope we're the first ones to get to it." Pungry remarked.

"Don't get yer hopes up…I bet the Smorg beat us there or somethin'…" Pungent said sarcastically.

"Somehow, I wouldn't be too surprised." Pungry rolled his eyes.

"The light is just right there…but there's this wall and a dead end in the way! Aw man…" To groaned. "Now we have to go back…"

"I'm starting to get dizzy, sis." Too giggled. "All this confusion is wracking my nerves…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"ACK! Watch it, you brute!" Zess berated as a Thwomp came crashing down behind her.

"Durr…I thought youse was a speck 'o dust or somethin'…" The Thwomp cackled.

"Freak." Zess said sharply.

"Zess, come! My gut tells me that going this way will get us closer to the exit!" Toadsworth exclaimed, pointing towards the left path in a fork.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen (Grande Falls Pool, Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Maybe if we can just find the clue ahead of them, we can pull away…" Waitress said, thumbing through the pebbles underwater.

"Hopefully…" Shimi said. "I wish I was normal size, though…then I'd feel so much more at home in this little pond." Shimi mumbled. "It appears so small now that we're big, I bet it'd be big once we were small! …Wait, that makes sense, right?"

"Weirdos!" Queen shouted across the pool to the express workers. "You two are so WEIRD!"

"I suppose if being purple and having ugly pink hair as well as an oddly-shaped body isn't weird, I don't know what is…" Waitress retorted.

"Your face is weird!" Queen said, making an ugly gesture with her hands.

"Queen, stop it! Help me search for the clue!" Beldam berated. However, Queen was so busy insulting the train staff, she didn't seem to hear the order.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Oh, man…I can see some other teams heading back up the hill to the lake…" Andy moaned. "This isn't good…"

"Fo'shizzle, man…but remember, we gotta focus on just keepin' our endurance up for this run!" King stated.

"Right…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Tantia Trail, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Hah, those guys are so far behind! Look at 'em, they're still heading back down to the falls!" Hamma laughed. "Losers, guys!"

"Shut up and run, you imbecile!" Flare grabbed his brother by the hand to force him to continue running.

"What're ya, a girl or something? Let go!"

-----

**To & Too / Pungry & Pungent (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"ANOTHER dead end?! Oh, gee…" Too sighed, completely flustered from the ordeal.

"Just great…maybe we should head that way, then…" Pungent suggested.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Hammer pirate take the sword and raise the mountain to glory!)" Smorgo advised.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Not for all the world, darling.)" Smorga answered. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (You can keep your weird little martini for yourself.)"

Rolling along, the two Smorg didn't realize that they were making any progress at all, since their path was barricaded by a Whomp.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 5th (Grande Falls Pool, Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Yes, I got one!" Waitress exclaimed, pulling an envelope from the sands.

"Awesome! Now we can head back to the parking slot and return to irregular thighs!" Shimi said, completely oblivious to the strangeness of his last sentence.

"Queen, come on and help me search for an envelope! I can't seem to find one!" Beldam cried.

"Oh, quit your blubbering! My insult was still better!" Queen laughed, causing Beldam to shake her head in agony.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Tantia Trail, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Man…if I'd known I'd be getting such a workout heading up this darn trail, I would've brought an extra water bottle…" Husband growled, squeezing his empty bottle.

"Tell me about it, hon…this uphill jog is killing my legs…" Wife whined. "I so wish our car could just drive back to us or something…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Tantia Lake Parking Lot, Crescent Mountain Range)**

Being in better condition than the married couple, the two brothers were able to run back up the hill to the parking lot without too much trouble.

"You know what? I just figured out that we can't get into our marked car…that could be an issue…" Flare trailed off.

"Tch. Well, I can't even open this small baggie…" Hamma sighed. "How're we supposed to get out of this pickle?"

As if on cue, a Paragoomba wearing a ranger uniform appeared, and held up the Mini Mushrooms from their car.

"Whoa! Dude, did you like break into our car or something?" Flare queried. "You better not've gotten anything else except our shrooms…"

Gulping down their Mushrooms, the two brothers instantly returned to their regular size. After shooing off the worker, they opened their clue.

"…Some statue back in Heftibulk…that's great, we're backtracking now." Hamma complained. "As if we weren't tired enough…"

"Well, we gotta go now…come on!" Flare commanded, getting into the front seat.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"This is such a pain…where is the stupid way to get to the exit?" Zess asked impatiently. "This is taking FOREVER! I bet that the hike was faster than this…urgh…"

"Don't give up hope just yet…this path should be the next one until…oh, never mind…" Toadsworth sighed as he came up to a dead end.

**To & Too / Pungry & Pungent (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Oh my gosh…ANOTHER dead end?!" To cried out. "This is so frustrating, I can't stand it!"

"Urgh…we better find the way to the clue soon, or else I'd be content just to fall down here and die or something…" Pungry groaned. It was apparent that he was fighting the urge to cry, as his eyes were glassy.

"I feel so claustrophobic, and we're not even packed in…" Too murmured. "Move it or lose it, buster!"

The Whomp ignored the Toad's angry yell.

"I hate this stupid place!" Pungent shouted. The other three nodded in agreement.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Anyone got a peanut butter-cranberry sandwich of liverwurst and funion?" Smorga questioned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I wish I wet the bed of the tissue box, you know.)" Smorgo replied.

Rolling along unsuspectingly, the Smorg were once again flattened by another Thwomp.

"Huhuhuhuh…dumb dust bunnies…"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 6th (Grande Falls Pool, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Ugh…finally." Beldam said, pulling out a bagged envelope from under a rock in the water.

"What took you so long? I was waiting patiently, but you are such a slacker!" Queen said mockingly.

"…You're joking, right?" Beldam asked disbelievingly.

"Not at all."

**Husband & Wife: Married (Tantia Lake Parking Lot, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Thank you very much, sir." Wife said appreciatively as she downed the Mini Mushroom.

After returning to normal size, Husband opened the clue envelope.

"…The city of Heftibulk now? Weren't we there yesterday?"

"Yeah, at the airport." Wife replied.

"…Hm. Well, we gotta locate this thing…" Husband said, showing Wife the picture.

"Hey, I think I saw something like that back there…hopefully I remember." Wife said, getting in the driver's seat.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Tantia River, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"You ready, man? This looks like a big plummet…" Andy said, crouching down and squinting to see the pool below.

"Eh, ain't nothin' compared to the hang glidin'." King shrugged.

"…I hate you so much!" Andy said playfully. "You get to do all the fun stuff! Oh well…here we go…one…two…three!"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Hurrah! Sunlight!"

Stepping out from the maze doors, Zess and Toadsworth immediately embraced.

"Well, we're out…but now, how do we get back to normal? It'll take a bit of climbing to get back to our Mega Mushrooms…" Toadsworth said worriedly.

As if out of nowhere, a Koopa in a white lab coat stepped out from behind the Toads' marked car with the parcel of Mega Mushrooms, which had been shrunken down.

"Wow, awesome!" Zess exclaimed, as the package was set in front of them.

In moments, the elderly Toads were back at their normal size.

"So…we need to head back to Heftibulk…" Toadsworth murmured. "Zess, keep an eye out for this statue once we get into town, would you?"

"Will do!" Zess replied as she took the picture.

**To & Too / Pungry & Pungent- Currently in 7th (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"Finally, we found it!" Pungent called out. "Hah, take that you stupid maze!"

"Don't celebrate just yet, Pungent…we still need to find our way out of here." Pungry reminded.

"Yeah, he's right…I wonder if we'll be able to do that…I mean, it took us so long just to get here…man, and I'm starving!" To sighed.

"I guess that the Mini Mushrooms didn't shrink your appetite…it didn't do it to mine!" Too said, giggling.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Minimania Maze, Big Boldrage)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (My frigid toes are biting at your snowman's uvula!)" Smorga laughed as he/she/it rammed into a wall of the maze and bounced off, unharmed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, take that for your kind word in quilting.)" Smorgo said appreciatively.

Still wandering about through the maze, the Smorg rolled aimlessly, only to drop into a pitfall and be deposited in a section even farther away from the exit.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Fiddlesticks, now I can't touch a rainbow!)"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in Last (Grande Falls Pool, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Got one! Thank heavens!" Andy said happily, pulling a clue from the rocks.

"Let's split this joint! Now's time to play some catch up!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Tantia Lake Parking Lot, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

Back at normal size, the two quickly scanned their clue and the included picture.

"Okay…so we need to find this strange-looking statue…I think we passed by something like that on the way to Gargantown, didn't we?" Waitress asked.

"Beats me up…I dunno." Shimi replied.

The Cheep-Cheep and Toad got into their marked vehicle and exited the parking lot.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Tantia Lake Parking Lot, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"That took long enough…" Beldam sighed. "Okay… 'Make your way to—'"

"SHUT UP!" Queen screamed for no apparent reason. "Quit trying to boss me around!"

"…What the heck?"

-----

**To & Too / Pungry & Pungent (Minimania Maze Parking Lot, Big Boldrage)**

Fortunately for the sisters and Punis, their luck in getting back to the exit was much better than what it was trying to get to the clue box. In little time, they were back in their marked 4-by-4s at regular size, en route to their next destination.

"I guess now's the end of that partnership…come on, pass 'em!" Pungent commanded as he drove the car. He managed to cut To off before heading out of the lot.

"Hey! What kind of driving is that?" To shrieked.

"We thought that maybe, since we'd worked together to complete the maze, we could befriend Pungent and Pungry. It's just too bad that they cut us off, seemingly with the intention of harming us…oh well…" Too sighed. (After-Leg Interview)

"They need to learn a bit of respect…" Too remarked. "I hope that all of this stress just hasn't gotten to their heads…"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Tantia Lake Parking Lot, Colosso Crescent Mountain Range)**

"Man, last car in and out…this stinks." Bandy Andy remarked. "Oh well…I bet someone's gonna get lost on the way back to Heftibulk."

"Heh, it'd be ironic seein' we all got maps." King reasoned.

King K. swiftly maneuvered the marked car out of the parking lot and out onto the side road leading away from the lake.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Minimania Maze Parking Lot, Big Boldrage)**

After wasting a lot of time getting squished by more Thwomps, falling through pitfalls, and rolling around, the Smorg eventually returned to normal size outside the building and broke through their windshield as they jumped into the marked car.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You broke the rules! Ha ha!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, take your garden and grow your cheese somewhere else in the trees!)"

-----

The Power-Up Bust, a statue created and pieced together by various anonymous crafters, stood at the intersection of two streets. Its strange structure made it seem like the whole piece could topple over at any second—a single platform section held up the rest of the sculpted power ups, which branched away from the center of the emblem like the limbs of a tree.

After re-entering Heftibulk, it didn't take long for the lucky first team to stumble upon the location of the statue.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1st (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

"Whoa, crap! Stop the car!" Hamma ordered. "That's it, right there!"

Slamming on the brakes, Flare made no comment as Hamma bashed his helmeted head against the seat in front of him. The two regrouped in front of the large item, where the clue box was located. They both also made note of several small lockets hanging off a hook on the side of the container.

"Okay…" Flare opened an envelope. "Sounds like promising news! 'Pick one of the charms on the side of the clue box, then make your way to the next pit stop, at Mammovast Ridge.'"

_Teams must now make their way 3 miles to the next possible pit stop, at the top of Mammovast Ridge. This tranquil, grassy field sits atop a hill on the outskirts of Heftibulk, and is a popular romantic viewing spot for the lights of the big city at nighttime. This vast meadow, littered with the occasional Warp Pipe, is possibly the pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in may be eliminated._

"'Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated.'" Flare concluded. "Heck, we got a lead! Let's not mess this up and make it there in first for once!"

"I'm all for that, bro!" Hamma agreed. The two fighters started back towards their car, but doubled back as they remembered the charms.

"Wait, which one should we get…" Flare murmured.

"This one! Hammer Brothers' Suit! Hammers are the bomb!" Hamma called out.

After Hamma took the locket that had a small suit on the end, the two brothers climbed back into their 4-by-4 before driving off.

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 2nd (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

"There's one gone…at least we're not in last." Wife remarked.

"Yeah, but we could be in first if we hurry! Come on!" Husband shouted, taking the Super Mushroom pendant from the side of the clue box.

"Hold up babe, you dropped your hat!" Wife yelled, picking up her husband's green hat, which had fallen to the ground.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 3rd (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

"Mammovast Ridge…sounds exquisite." Toadsworth remarked. "Zess, dear, which one should we get?"

"I don't know…does the clue say why we need it?"

"No, as a matter of fact, it doesn't."

"Well, I'll take the one that looks the best, then." Zess T. grabbed the Power Wing locket before following Toadsworth back to the car.

-----

Several large flowers that were in bloom swayed as a strong gust of wind blew through the grasses of Mammovast Ridge, which jutted out the side of the hill into a cliff that overlooked the bustling city of Heftibulk. Waiting at a point on the hill were the red Yoshi host Blaise and a large quadruped Koopa Paratroopa, who was eagerly bouncing around and waiting for the arrival of the first team.

The Paratroopa made a comment as he caught a glimpse of a marked car heading for the ridge. Blaise nodded, but kept his eyes downcast.

**Hamma & Flare / Husband & Wife / Zess & Toadsworth (Mammovast Ridge Road)**

Due to being stalled by a traffic light, the two coed teams had caught up to the brothers, and were in a frantic race to the pit stop, knowing full well that first place was on the line. However, while Flare and Husband battled by swerving around in attempts to block each other off, Toadsworth kept his vehicle behind, more worried about his and Zess' safety than a first-place finish, the single item that the other two teams were very hungry for.

"Come on, bro! Don't let 'em pass you!" Hamma commanded.

"They won't; don't you worry your head!" Flare responded.

"Babe, be careful!" Wife shrieked as she bounced in her seat.

"You're buckled in, right?! This'll be a crazy ride!" Husband called back.

Unfortunately, Husband was right. Right as the two teams entered the lot that separated the road from the field, the steering controls of the brothers' car stalled, causing them to bump into the vehicle of the Twilighters. This resulted in both cars turning into awkward positions that blocked the way into the lot.

"DANG! WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!" Flare cried out, clutching onto the steering wheel as the car completely spun out.

"DUDE, I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT!" Hamma yelled.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Wife screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Husband roared over the skidding noise his car made as it spun around.

"OH, CRAP! WATCH OUT FOR THEIR CAR!" Zess warned.

"I CAN'T STOP!" Toadsworth gasped as his brakes didn't respond.

The two braced themselves as their car knocked into that of the Twilighters, which then bumped into that of the brothers. Somehow, this caused the erratic spinning of the other two cars to stop as all three screeched to a stop in three separate parking spaces.

Startled at the sudden change of events, all three teams looked at each other before deciding that they were all okay and that a footrace to the pit stop took priority over the condition of their cars.

**Team ? (Mammovast Ridge)**

Having seen it all from a sky-high view, the Paratroopa returned to the ground, shaken.

"Those cars are flippin' solid, aren't they? There's like, only a few scratches and dents here and there! Incredible!"

"…" Blaise looked at the Paratroopa. "…We've been careful about things like that…we're worried about their safety, but apparently, there was some kind of malfunction, I guess…we'll have to check it out later."

Within seconds, the first of the teams came running in to the mat, energetically jumping on. Both were slightly shaken, but otherwise fine.

"Welcome to Heftibulk, Giant Land!" the giant red Paratroopa welcomed.

"Thanks, bro…"

"Hamma and Flare." Blaise closed his eyes for a moment. "You are…team number one."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 1st Place, 2:31 P.M.**

"YEAH-HAH!"

"YEEEES! FIRST AT LAST, BABY!"

Giving each other a high-five, the excited brothers waited expectantly for Blaise to continue. Standing still, it became apparent that Hamma had been wearing the Hammer Brothers Suit locket.

"I have some more good news for you…as the winners of this fourth leg of the race, you have both won the newest state-of-the-art in cloud car technology, a pair of Cloud Chariots that give you the ability to travel over water, land, and sky. You'll be able to personalize them after the race…and knowing you two, I think you'll enjoy them…" Blaise trailed off as the deafening laughs from the brothers drowned him out.

"Bro, we got cloud chariots! THAT IS SO FRIGGIN' AWESOME!"

"HECK, YEAH! That race to the pit stop was definitely worth it!"

Realizing that the other two teams were patiently waiting for them to finish, the brothers laughed nervously before stepping off the mat, allowing them on.

"You guys can come on in." Blaise motioned. "Husband and Wife, you are team number two…which means, Zess and Toadsworth, you are team number three."

**Husband & Wife: Married- 2nd Place, 2:32 P.M.**

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 3rd Place, 2:33 P.M.**

"Second…oh well. We can do it next time…hopefully we won't have to do that again, though…" Husband remarked.

"You better not…" Wife laughed, pulling in her man for an embrace.

"That really was something of an accident, wasn't it?" Toadsworth queried. "We're all safe and sound…what are the chances?"

"I guess we're really lucky…but then again, we shouldn't complain, right?" Zess sighed. "Wait…what about the charms?"

"Right…well, let's check if any of your charms match the one that I have." Blaise stated calmly. The three teams held out their respective Hammer Bros. Suit, Super Mushroom, and Power Wing pendants.

"So…what's the verdict?" Husband asked.

"…Nope…none of them match." Blaise said, showing his own pendant. "Tough luck, guys."

"It's okay. We're all up here at the top, right?" Zess mentioned. She then hugged Wife, who returned the willing hold.

"Not only did we end up being safe after what could've been a devastating accident, but we're up at the top with our alliance partners, Husband and Wife. We're in a perfect position to head out on the next leg, especially if Waitress and Shimi are able to join us." Zess explained. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 4th (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

"Warning: the last seam to sewn in will be discriminated." Shimi read. Ignoring what he had announced since she already knew what it said, Waitress looked amongst the remaining charms.

"Ooh…this one looks sorta cute…" Waitress murmured, picking up the Raccoon Suit locket. "Hey, Shimi…I wonder what you'd look like in this…"

"…Ew. I'd hate to fee that image." Shimi remarked.

------

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Heftibulk Outskirts, Heftibulk)**

"Great…I knew I couldn't depend on you as a map reader again…" Beldam sighed. "We're lost…AGAIN…"

"Oh, shut up! It's not like you could do any better reading this map…it's so difficult with all these lines and numbers and words…and other stuff!"

"I bet I could do better than you if I were reading, but you'd probably screw up even worse behind the wheel."

"YOU'RE ON, WITCH! I'LL TAKE THAT CHALLENGE AND IF I WIN I GET YOUR LUNCH BECAUSE I'M STARVING!"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Mammovast Ridge)**

Hopping onto the map, the two employees gave Blaise hopeful looks.

"Welcome to Heftibulk, Giant Land!" the giant red Paratroopa exclaimed.

"Thank you."

"Shimi and Waitress…" Blaise paused. "You are team number four."

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 4th Place, 2:47 P.M.**

"That's better than what we placed at Sparkle Bay…that's a good thing." Waitress smiled happily.

"Definitely!" Shimi clapped his fins together.

"Let me see your charm to check for a match…" Blaise requested. Waitress showed him the Raccoon Suit, but he shook his head. "Sorry…it's not."

"Oh well…at least we're set up for when we heave." Shimi remarked.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 5th (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

"I know we're not last…the girls are still behind us." Pungry mumbled, taking the Fire Flower charm off of the clue box.

"Well, let's keep it that way and stay ahead of 'em!" Pungent exclaimed. The two Punis rushed back to their marked car just as another marked 4-by-4 pulled up.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 6th (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

"There they are, To. We can probably pass them now that we're out of the roads where it's just one lane." Too said confidently.

"Right!" To opened a clue envelope. "…Too, pick out one of the charms, will you?"

"Will do…" Too took the Jugem's Cloud charm off the hook. "Oh, this is so cute!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Heftibulk Outskirts Farther Away, Heftibulk)**

"You see?! I knew you couldn't find it! You suck at reading maps worse than I do! AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Queen cackled evilly.

"Tch. The only reason we're lost is because you turned right when I said left, and went straight when I told you to turn, doofus." Beldam mumbled.

"What was that pile of white-faced lies I just heard?"

"…They weren't LIES, they were—"

"LA LA LA, CAN'T HEAR YOU! BLAH BLAH BLAH!"

-----

**Pungry & Pungent / To & Too (Mammovast Ridge)**

Outmaneuvering the Punis on the way to the lot, the sisters managed to park ahead and of course, beat them in a footrace to the mat.

"Welcome to Heftibulk, Giant Land!"

"Thank you—"

"So much!"

"…" Blaise just eyed the sisters after the finish-the-sentence part, causing them to laugh. "To and Too. You are team number five."

**To & Too: Sisters- 5th Place, 2:59 P.M.**

"That's not too bad…" To grinned. "At least we're not having too much difficulty staying in the middle of the pack."

"Yeah…or else, we'd be in real trouble…" Too stated. The two Toads then stepped off to allow the Punis on.

"I don't have any idea how you actually beat us here…but good job." Pungent murmured quietly to the girls.

"Pungry and Pungent." Blaise sighed. "You are team number six."

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 6th Place, 3:00 P.M.**

"Ain't bad…but we can do better, that's for sure." Pungent remarked.

"Yeah…"

"We've been trailing quite a bit, especially since the first two legs of the race…but seeing ourselves move up a bit has helped our self-esteem. We're actually starting to make moves that our making us seem like more of a threat now…I think that in good time, we'll be able to make it into the top." Pungry said. (After-Leg Interview)

"Let me see your charms, guys…" Blaise directed. To and Pungry held out their respective charms. After taking a moment to look, he nodded. "Pungry and Pungent, you picked the matching locket…nice job."

"Really?" Pungry and Pungent gasped as Blaise lifted his neck to show his Fire Flower choker.

"As a reward for your luck in this fourth leg of the race, you've both won matching Amp-Charge digital cameras, from the newest line of digital technology…you can enjoy that after the race."

"Are you serious?" Pungent asked, wide-eyed. "I've ne'er had a camera before!"

"Awesome!" Pungry exclaimed. "I've heard how cool those things are…man, and we didn't even have to place first to get something cool!"

This caused the sisters to laugh.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 7th (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

"Man, there's a lot of pendants gone…that sucks…" King snapped his fingers.

"Yeah…oh well. At least we know that we're not last, since there are some others still here." Andy shrugged. "That's a good sign…"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Mammovast Ridge)**

"Welcome to Heftibulk, Giant Land!"

"Thanks, dude."

"Andy and King." Blaise nodded. "You are team number seven."

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 7th Place, 3:16 P.M.**

"That's sorta scary…seein' how we dropped, but we'll make up for it." King K. declared.

"Yup…you can count on that." Andy agreed.

-----

**Team ?- Currently in 8th (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

Although the driver handled the car erratically, the team managed to make it to the Power-Up Bust in one piece. All words and noises were edited out, and the team couldn't be seen. They somehow grabbed a clue envelope and retreated back to their car.

-----

**Team ? (Mammovast Ridge)**

Blaise and the giant red Paratroopa watched as a marked car pulled up to the parking lot, and the doors opened. Even Blaise was slightly shocked at the identity of the team that came out.

"…W-Wow…welcome to Heftibulk, G-Giant Land…"

"…I didn't expect you to be here…but then again, you two are full of surprises." Blaise began.

The two just looked at each other.

"Nevertheless…Beldam and Queen, you are team number eight!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 8th Place, 3:35 P.M.**

"Ugh…you're kidding! Wow…we're still safe…what a relief!" Beldam sighed.

"Tch. Why can't I just go home? This is so tedious, trying to drive and then struggling to touch the pretty pendants with you in my way…" Queen grumbled.

"…You're such a girly girl!"

"Shut up, old hag!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in Last (Power-Up Bust, Heftibulk)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Amore is the language of ice cream!)" Smorgo announced.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Marriage?! But he totally digs you, you can't dump your garbage just like that!)" Smorga argued.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Mammovast Ridge)**

After wasting time at the Power-Up Bust, the two Smorg eventually made their way to the pit stop. By that time, neither of the hosts were very happy.

"…What the heck are those things…" the Paratroopa raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly that." Blaise answered. "Smorgo and Smorga. You're the last team to arrive."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Last Place, 6:12 P.M.**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (But I like carpeting of red flowers!)" Smorgo stated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How will I last without her? It's impossible!)" Smorga sobbed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How so can you swallow a sword if you're not a bird?)" Smorgo asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Tch. Take it from me, you can't flush a commode without a head.)" Smorga replied.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Whatever. Hotels have everything you could ever need or want.)" Smorgo responded.

"…Um…" the Paratroopa edged away nervously.

"…I am…not exactly pleased, however, to inform you that this is the first of four non-elimination legs in the race." Blaise said, trying to avert his eyes from the bouncing discs. "However, I'll have to take away all of your money as well as all of your possessions, minus your passports…and you don't have any clothes on your back."

As the Smorg rolled away from the spot as a result of the wind, the travel pack unraveled and became unstuck from Smorgo. Blaise picked it up to discover a loaded credit card and seemingly untouched passports.

"…Well…this is…interesting, to say the least…" Blaise murmured. "They've used up virtually no money ever since the race started…how they've made it through like that, I have no idea…"

"How do they pay for gas?"

"…I don't think I want to know." Blaise muttered balefully, watching as the two creatures bounced off. "Still…I think that credit should be given where credit is due…I owe it to them, they've become quite a surprising duo, that's for sure."

-----

_Leg 4 Special Guest…_

_For this, the first non-elimination leg, we will have a previous racer from season one speaking with us—one of the first to experience a non-elimination, Ms. Mowz!_

_"That's right, everyone…it's me!" Ms. Mowz winked slyly, and made a small purring noise. "Well, Peeka and I had an accident at Pagoda Peak that caused our arrival as last to the pit stop…but I'm afraid I have no idea what happened to the two…things…here. Anyways, I'm sure that we'll see how they make up for it in the next leg, right? Speaking of the next leg…_

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_"Brothers Hamma and Flare endeavor to break up the threatening alliance of coeds."_

"They're a real threat to our success…this is how we get rid of 'em…" Flare muttered, a glint of malevolence in his eye.

_"A twist revealed in the previous race returns…"_

"Oh, wow…didn't see anything like this coming…" Andy gasped.

_"And a difficult Roadblock brings out the worst in Waitress."_

"Please, Shimi! Just shut up and let me do it my way! You're not helping me!" Waitress screamed through tears.

_"Just like the season I went in, the teams visited a very famous locale…even though I didn't get to race in it. If the teams thought Giant Land was big, they're all going to be in for a big surprise when they discover where they're headed next…" Ms. Mowz chuckled. "Anyways, that's me, your fave scavenger hunter, signin' off! In the mood for some money to spend? Shop at the Howz of Badges, run by yours truly! Buh-bye now!"_

-----

Leg 4 Trivia:

- Although it was one of the things somewhat planned from the start, the three-team alliance (consisting of Shimi & Waitress, Husband & Wife, and Zess & Toadsworth) was made in homage to the six-pack of TAR10, although the original alliance had more teams (Alabama, Chos, Kentucky, and T&T).

- The author has no idea what Giant Land looks like, and has not played Super Mario Bros. 3.

- Even though it went unmentioned, it is implied that the obstacles in the Minimania Maze were shrunken down to accommodate the size of the racers.

- The style of randomized prize giving is different than from the regular race; the first-place team received a prize, as well as the team that had picked up a pendant that matched that of the Yoshi host for this chapter, Blaise. The one that was chosen was done so in homage to his original power that he had when he was created, as well as an obvious nod to his name.

-----

Author's Note: I find this really weird, but the ability to survive, live, and function without oxygen is demonstrated in several Mario games, although there have been some examples that implied that oxygen was everywhere, or that there were rules contrasting just for certain purposes (i.e. Sink or Swim in Mario Party 6; oxygen is a key factor in remaining underwater). And yet in other games, there seems to be no limit to it (i.e. Underwater worlds in Super Mario Bros. and outer space boards in the Mario Party series). In this series, the need for oxygen has obviously been disbanded (TTYD 1 visited Astro Avenue in outer space), but I, the author, still remain quite confused about how it all works…as the height of Massive Mountain was decided upon with Mt. Everest in mind—the peak of this user-created hill is definitely well above the death zone…oh well; I wouldn't want any racers to suffocate or anything.

Yayness for an alliance between Shim-Stress, Zessworth, and Team Twilight! I really wonder how long it'll last…man the suspense is really working on me!

This is a minor detail, but…I feel SO bad! I've completely mixed up Two, To, and Too! In the intro, To and Too had pink and green hair, respectively…but I've been saying for the last few chapters that it was red and pink! I'm SO SORRY, SISTERS! …I need to be so much more careful…

In other news, we've added two definite teams to the voting roster that will go up some time later in the season…I really do give my thanks out to **SSBFreak** and **Master Ruck** for providing them… I just hope that your thoughts won't go to waste when it comes time to voting…

- Mayor Maximus & General White: Fahr Outpost Leaders (The mayor had no name…oh well. It's a good pairing, as the two are both well respected in Fahr Outpost…they seem like they'd make a great team.)

- Cassara & Nouvel: Married (Live in West Rogueport. I really wish they had been given names in the game, though…oh, well. They should be a very interesting couple to read about.)

And here are some from Fahr Outpost that I've assembled myself…there are a lot more, but these are the featured ones…

- Norma & Ingrid: Services Managers (The managers of Northwinds Mart and Fahr Outpost Inn, respectively. Another female team to add in…unfortunately, with user-created names. Nyet, it's not that much of a bad thing…and da, that was Bob-omb dialect.)

- Swob & Fred: Cannon Firers (Yeah, the two guys with four-letter names are paired up…according to Goombella, one speaks his mind and the other ISN'T freaky…)

- Rob & Nob: Cannon Firers (Nothing of much interest, except opposite personalities in the game—the former is prissy and hates exploding, the latter is a tough guy that badmouths Mario.)

After a bit of extensive scout searching, I'm closing the suggestions…we've got a full roster of over 24 teams on our hands for the next race's potential slots…unfortunately, a lot of them are EXTREMELY minor, but hey…someone's gotta fill that unused space. So, no more team suggestions...I've got plenty...and by the way, I lied on the previous leg.

The TTYD race plans to have 5 seasons total: four normal ones, the 3rd and 4th seasons have pending teams slated to be on. The 5th will truly be the final one...and, like the planned TARAS(11), will be an All-Star race. Three teams from each season will combine in that race...but no repeated winners. Of course, those twelve teams as well as the twenty-four out of thirty-two planned to be on TTYD3 and 4 are all up to the readers (if there are any left by that time, I hope to make it that far...).


	6. Leg 5: Planting the Bean of Troubles!

Author's Note: Update on 12/24/06

Well, here it is, everyone! Leg 5 of the story! More news on season 3 cast and other stuff down below, at the conclusion of this episode!

**Review Answering**: I really think I misled everyone about where the next destination was…oh well, I'll give a better hint if possible for the next leg…but thanks for reviewing anyways!

**SSBFreak**: Heh, I think I preferred Flobbery, too…there was such a one-sidedness to them that was so neat, especially when Flavio was the one to do something beneficial (I sorta think that although they do it this season, it's not as evident—the super shadow folk). Thanks, btw!

**Master Ruck**: Yeah, unfortunately for you, the fourth leg was non-elimination. Oh, man…that's not the destination. Just to clarify, I've played NONE of the Mario games on the N64, so I'm not as much of a retro gamer as I wish I could be. The only one I have played (and own) is Mario Kart 64…but sadly, that's it.

**Yoshi Hoshi**: Sadly enough, I bet that the Smorg would find some kind of gunk in the lake that would end up replacing what they lost. And yeah, the Smorg do defy logic—especially if they've made it past leg one…as for their names, it implies that male/female distribution, but they are in fact, genderless…it's a play on the irony of things, isn't it…

What a keen analyst we have! I haven't played MP2, though, but I was aware of the costume-garb that everyone wore on each board…by the looks of upcoming games (Super Mario Galaxy), it seems as if oxygen isn't exactly a used theory in the Mushroom world anymore…

In All-Stars, if Flobbery (or just Flavio, if there will be a team scramble) makes it back on (they're likely; they were quite…recognized), Flavio will be back to his normal self—it was implied that his 'condition' came about as a result of airplane food. As for TTYD3/4, the case of Sir Grodus and Lord Crump will be sort of odd, no doubt…if they do get voted to be on one of the races, we're going to have more than just an amputee…it'll be almost like TAR10's Peter & Sarah, but with a FULL mechanical body on Grodus' part. And btw, I'm pretty sure that the X-Nauts were also taller than the Punis…I think that Lord Crump was a bit taller than the average peon, too.

-----

Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

"Shut up and just say I'm right, will you?"

_Nine teams of two departed from the famous port of Harborside Cabana and flew over 7,300 miles to Heftibulk, Giant Land._

_Flare and King butted heads when quarreling to claim a clue envelope on an even playing field._

"I don't care! Get outta my way!" Flare shoved the Koopa out of his path.

"Man, you got some major issues!" King growled.

_Several team members enjoyed a hang gliding venture off of the world's highest mountain._

"I FEEL LIKE AN ANGEL FLOATING DOWN TO MY OWN ANGEL ON EARTH!" Husband laughed heartily.

"YEAH-HAH!" Too squealed with delight as her green hair flapped about her head.

"Oh my gosh, I feel like some kind of awesome!" Waitress gushed. "This is SO cool!"

"OH YEAH, BABY! I BET G-MONEY'S GOT NOTHIN' ON A LEAP LIKE THIS!" King yelled to the wind.

"It's times like this I really wish I did know how to fly!" Pungent quipped.

_Several teams took their chances trying to complete a difficult and confusing maze._

"DANGIT!"

"ANOTHER dead end?! Oh, gee…" Too sighed, completely flustered from the ordeal.

_Others scoured through the waters of a cascading waterfall._

"Yeah-hah! Got one!" Flare cheered, excavating an envelope wrapped in a plastic bag from underneath the rocks.

"Yes, I got one!" Waitress exclaimed, pulling an envelope from the sands.

_Bad luck struck Andy and King again as they had to deal with a flat tire._

"Okay…this completely and utterly sucks." Bandy Andy bellowed.

_In the end, Hamma and Flare managed to edge out two other allied teams in a suspenseful race to the pit stop to claim first._

"You are…team number one."

_For best friends Pungry and Pungent, position didn't matter, as they were the lucky recipients of a random prizing system._

"Awesome!" Pungry exclaimed. "I've heard how cool those things are…man, and we didn't even have to place first to get something cool!"

_Arriving in last place, it seemed Smorgo and Smorga were done for…_

"…I am…not exactly pleased, however, to inform you that this is the first of four non-elimination legs in the race." Blaise said. "However, I'll have to take away all of your money as well as all of your possessions, minus your passports…and you don't have any clothes on your back."

…_But they were lucky to have received a reprieve, as this was the first of four pre-determined non-elimination legs._

Brothers Crash Into First; Smorg Fortunate to Remain

_Nine teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is the main industrial center of economics and commerce in Giant Land, known as Heftibulk. Known to have some of the tallest skyscrapers and buildings in the world, it is among the leaders in the production of Power-Ups. And on the outskirts of the hilly country surrounding this unique city is Mammovast Ridge. This grassy pasture, a popular overlook over the hustle and bustle of Heftibulk in the land of the large, was the fourth pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The nine teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_Hamma and Flare, who arrived at 2:31 P.M…_

"YEAH-HAH!"

"YEEEES! FIRST AT LAST, BABY!"

_…Will depart at 2:31 A.M._

-----

In the dark of the night, Mammovast Ridge was pitch black—there were very few lights around, and no buildings in the immediate area. A few minor sets of lamps glowed in the distance of Heftibulk, but they weren't enough to illuminate the point at all.

Even though the pit stop marker glowed slightly, the brothers were forced to bring their own headlamps. Just like the last leg, neither of them was wearing any clothes, so there was no change in wardrobe.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 1st to Depart, 2:31 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

When the time arrived, Hamma tore the strip off the envelope and pulled out a Smash bill and Route Info.

"'Your next destination can be unscrambled from the following four words: bean, kin, bang, and mode. Unscramble your next locale, get a flight there, and then locate your next clue in marked cars outside of the airport.'"

_Teams must unscramble the four words included in their clue and figure out that their next destination is the Beanbean Kingdom. After driving back 2 miles to Giant Land International, teams will need to find a flight for the aforementioned location, 5,093 miles away. Once there, teams will find their next clue in the marked cars waiting outside of Beanbean International._

"'Eight teams have 30 Smash coins for this leg of the race, one has zero.'" Hamma concluded.

"Right now, we've got just a bit over a 100 in our card." Flare announced. "We're gonna have to try and conserve today."

"We've got our first, and we're not plannin' on droppin'. We're entirely capable of making and staying in the top standings, and we intend to stay that way for the rest of the race." Hamma remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

The brothers jogged back to their semi-tattered marked car, which seemed a bit fixed in looks compared to what it was in the previous leg.

"Okay…so once we get to the airport, we can try unscrambling this bad boy…" Hamma said, pulling out the map.

**Husband & Wife: Married- 2nd to Depart, 2:32 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

The married Twilighters had a dull and dreary appearance, yet a certain amount of livelihood at the same time. Husband kept his green hat and glasses perched on his head, with a green jacket, yellow shirt, and jeans covering the rest of his body. Wife had her yellow hair back into a ponytail at the back of her head, which was again covered by her red bandana. She had moon-shaped earrings, a royal blue shirt, and light-green shorts.

"…bean, kin, bang, and mode…" Husband read.

"In the last leg of the race, we struck up an alliance with our friends Zess, Toadsworth, Waitress, and Shimi." Wife recalled. "We all finished in consecutive places, and we think it'll be most beneficial if we stick together for now, sharing information and helping each other out. Although we had a bit of a heated battle against Toadsworth and Zess T. on the way to the pit stop, we're over it now, so we're in a very good position for the fifth leg." (After-Leg Interview)

"Just what kind of words are those…I can't make heads or tails of 'em!" Wife remarked.

"Maybe one of the others will know…we all agreed to meet up at the airport, so that's where we're gonna go." Husband declared.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 3rd to Depart, 2:33 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

Wearing a black fleece jacket and slacks, Zess had on the first earrings she'd had on since the start of the race—two mixing bowls. Toadsworth, on the other hand, had done away with the usual purple coat; instead, he had on a gray jacket and blue jeans.

"'Eight have 30 Smash coins for this leg of the race, one has zero.'" Zess finished.

"All right, my dear…shall we?" Toadsworth asked cordially as he put away the credit card.

"I feel that over the course of the race, we've been steadily improving, even though it didn't always show. Our wisdom in navigating, booking tickets—all that has improved. We just need to apply it accordingly to keep moving, and we'll be safe from harm." Toadsworth remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

"The shop owners already left…I guess we're meeting up at the airport after all." Zess said, observing that two previously inhabited parking spots were now empty.

"Right…well, then…I'll get started on this puzzle, post haste." Toadsworth announced. "…It sounds extremely familiar…"

-----

Giant Land International, the main airport of Giant Land, was apparently closed for the night. Although the lights were on, there was little activity occurring inside, save for the occasional janitor passing by a window. None of the ticket counters were open, but the baggage claim kept running with a few forgotten bags.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"Figures…they're all closed." Flare sighed.

"Looks like we're spending yet another night at the airport…" Hamma said. "At least we have more time to figure this out…"

"Tch. We'd be better off asking some employee to help us…" Flare stated sarcastically.

At that moment, a janitor passed by, whistling and pushing a trash can. Looking at their Route Info, Hamma and Flare then glanced at each other before following him.

**Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"We just need to wait for the Excess to come, and then we can find someplace to sleep in here…" Husband yawned.

"Can't we just go to a hotel, hon?" Wife complained.

"Naw, we need to save money…"

While the pair quibbled about their sleep setting, Zess and Toadsworth furiously tried to unscramble the four words.

"I recognize that pile of letters…but I can't put my finger on what it is." Toadsworth muttered. "…I don't understand why they had to humble us with such a childish puzzle…"

"Uh, yeah…because we're certainly being humbled by it." Zess chuckled.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 4th to Depart, 2:47 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

Waitress brushed back her purple bangs as her partner read the information on the paper. She had on a red shirt with a white imprint of the front of the train in the front, and an image of the back of the train on her back. Shimi was wearing a black bonnet.

"Scramble your next doodle, get a fight there, and then locust your next clue in marked stars outside of the air dart." Shimi read. Waitress made sure to read over his shoulder, since she would waste time just trying to interpret by ear.

"Chef Shimi…isn't your typical guy. He's quite a unique person, easily shown by how he speaks and acts. At times, I feel like he's the coolest fish in the sea, and at others, he gets on my nerves." Waitress laughed at her own straight-to-the-point statement. "Anyways, it's up to both of us to try to overcome our differences as a team and do our best…and I think we can do it. We're not alphas, but our own wit and ingenuity can go a long way." (After-Leg Interview)

"I hope one of the other teams gets this…because I don't have a clue." Waitress said, looking at the Route Info page.

"Don't worry! I'm sure that they'll have a bottle full of answers to give us at the airport!" Shimi said brightly, backing the car out of the lot.

-----

**Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

The Twilighters and Toads looked up in time to see their alliance partners walk through the unbelievably large doors of the airport.

"The gang's all here!" Husband exclaimed. "Great…now we can find a place to crash…"

"I still say the best accommodations are at a hotel." Wife muttered.

"I could do with an ounce of sleep…" Shimi said, yawning.

"I think we all could…" Waitress rubbed her arm.

"Quite right, old bean…" Toadsworth said, his eyes drooping. Suddenly, he perked up. "BEAN!"

"…Worthsy, are you alright?" Zess asked.

Pulling out a pencil and the Route Info, Toadsworth started scribbling.

"…Okay, that letter there…aha! I was right! I did have a feeling I knew where we were going!" Toadsworth announced to his party. "Our next destination is the—"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Giant Land International Janitor's Office)**

"Beanbean Kingdom? What kind of funky name is that?" Flare asked.

"Never heard of it." Hamma quipped.

"I've heard it's quite an interesting place…got a travel brochure here if ya want." The large Koopa Troopa offered. "You two are just lucky I'm good with those sorts of puzzles…"

"Heh, yeah…knowing us, we would've probably never figured it out." Flare laughed.

"…Are you saying we're stupid or something? Cause we're not. …Or at least I'm not…I don't know about you." Hamma said.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Flare questioned angrily, throwing a punch.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- 5th to Depart, 2:59 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

Retaining their look of unity, both sisters had on white shirts and blue jeans, as well as matching hoop bracelets made of bronze. However, the split goes with their hairstyles—To's hair was left free to dangle and matched her pink jacket, while Too's hair hung in a single braid on her back that was the same color has her green coat.

"'Your next destination can be unscrambled from the following words…'" To read, making sure to keep her light on the page.

"So far, we've been doing extremely well as a team…not much to argue about and we haven't made any major mistakes. Although the other teams see us here, they don't exactly NOTICE us." To said, making special emphasis on the word 'notice.'

"Yeah. But then again, that's okay, also…we have a lot of provided cover, and it's much easier for us to avoid dealing with the likes of the others that could possibly hurt us." Too added. (After-Leg Interview)

"This puzzle sounds really confusing…" Too giggled. "I'm too sleepy to think about it…"

"Hehe, yeah…I don't know if I'll be able to stay up long enough to get us to the airport." To remarked.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 6th to Depart, 3:00 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

In the brisk night, the Punis had actually decided to wear some clothes—both had on specially made jackets that fitted their body shape and size.

"30 Smash coins…they're obviously not giving us very much to work with." Pungry remarked.

"That's quite alright, bud…don't suspect to be usin' it much, seein' as we're usin' cars again." Pungent reminded.

"It's takin' us a lot of work just to keep our sanity and not let all this here stress rush to our heads. We've been gettin' the cold shoulder most of the time since no others think we're a threat…but we're actually quite a force to be reckoned with! Possibly in the next few days, we'll make the grade that'll show those others just how hard-workin' we really are!" Pungent exclaimed. (After-Leg Interview)

"Man, I really wonder if we'll be able to actually figure out what this destination is before the last plane for it leaves." Pungry joked.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"Hopefully we can figure this out…I think one of the words might be 'kingdom,' but I'm not sure…" To trailed off.

"We wouldn't be told to go back to the Mushroom Kingdom already, would we?" Too asked. "There are a lot of airports there that it could be."

"I have no idea."

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"We should just go ter sleep instead of tryin' to figure this out…" Pungent suggested.

"I guess…we might be able to get it off of one of the others in the morning." Pungry shrugged.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 7th to Depart, 3:16 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

King K. was again wearing the black hoodie he'd worn at the beginning of the previous leg, along with his sunglasses, but he'd taken off the spiked choker around his neck. Andy had once again switched robes, this time opting for a blue one.

"'Unscramble your next locale, get a flight there, and then locate your next clue in marked cars outside the airport.'" King read.

"Our performance in the race has been like a see-saw; one moment, we're at the top, the next…not so great." Bandy Andy explained. "That is something we both want to erase—keep it at the top of our game, and we'll be able to get going and pull ahead of everyone else." (After-Leg Interview)

"This place has way too many letters in its name…" Andy sighed.

"Think you can figure it out, dawg? 'Cuz if you want, I can take a stab at it."

"No, that's alright…I'll get it…hopefully."

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"You see? Told ya I'd be able to figure it out." Andy smirked.

King nodded approvingly at Andy's deductions on the paper that the destination was the Beanbean Kingdom.

"Didn't take too long, huh…cool beans, man." King K. gave a thumbs up.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 8th to Depart, 3:35 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

"This place is so dreadfully peaceful, it makes me sick!" Queen complained. "Seriously, who'd make a rest stop atop some stupid HILL?!"

Plugging one ear with a gloved hand, Beldam managed to pull her blue hat farther over her head to try and drown out the Shadow Queen's complaints as she read the clue. Ironically enough, Queen had styled her hair into little pigtails, making her look like the little kid that her attitude and behavior matched so greatly.

"Will you be quiet for once?!" Beldam inquired.

"…and then it's just so dark here, and you have to bring this ugly little light just to see that note pad you're reading…"

Beldam sighed.

"It's hard enough to be racing in a competition…but it's so much harder when I'm the only one doing any work! Seriously, how can one function in a team race when there's only one member pulling the weight? I wouldn't be too surprised at any kind of outcome we get, but then again, just being with Queen is a surprise in itself…" Beldam groaned. (After-Leg Interview)

"…because it's such an ugly color, and it clashes with the ideal hue that the world should be cloaked in," Queen continued, "since you know that all structures that are spherical should so be puce…"

Beldam slammed her forehead on the steering wheel in annoyance, causing a loud honk to emit from the car.

"AAAH! WHAT'RE YOU TRYING TO DO, KILL ME WITH LOUD, ANNOYING RACKET OR SOMETHING?!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"…Let's see…if you put that 'a' there…no, that spells out 'bank,' which won't have an airport in front of it…" Beldam murmured. "Well, it could…but…there's no way it could be a destination…oh my gosh, this is so frustrating!"

Sitting with a pair of earmuffs perched atop her hat, Beldam tried to work out the scramble while Queen rambled on behind her, unaware that she wasn't listening.

"…seriously, castles are so cool with their pointy tops and flags and everything! I wonder why I didn't have a castle back in the day—those cheap villagers had no idea how to use a hammer, making me that dumb old palace and using…"

**5:30 A.M. (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

Several of the counters in the ticket hall raised their shutters with half-awake clerks behind them. However, the majority of the teams weren't in the area at the time.

**Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress (Giant Land International, Internet Café)**

"According to this, it says that the fastest flight to the Beanbean Kingdom leaves at 8:00 this morning, World Flyer 1004…and there are very few seats left. That's perfect!" Zess exclaimed.

"Cool…it even arrives at 4:30 local time!" Wife stated. "Book six of 'em for us, Zess!"

"Hopefully it truly is the fastest flight and we'll manage to get through unimpeded before something holds us up. Are there any things you remember that have operation times?" Waitress asked Toadsworth.

"Not that I can recall…maybe the main castle town and Little Fungitown, but that'd be it." Toadsworth answered.

"Great! Let's go over and get the tickets, then!" Shimi yelled.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Last to Depart, 6:12 A.M. (Mammovast Ridge)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Do you think that momma will let me keep this midterm? I mean, it's so pretty…)" Smorgo said flamboyantly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You've got to be kidding me…that has got to be the ugliest set of clothes I've ever seen!)" Smorga berated.

Although a good deal of dirt had been wiped off the Smorg, a large amount of grass blades had gotten stuck to them in place of the filth.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, I bet the police will catch you before you can take away the jewels!)" Smorgo said tauntingly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Huh, that's some nerve you've got there…nice try, but no dice, you board game!)" Smorga retorted.

Shooting back through their already-open windshield, the Smorg both ended up crashing on the front seat of their car.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Giant Land International, World Flyer Counter)**

"Awesome…8:00 and arrives at 4:30? That sounds like a really good one." Andy remarked.

"My instincts tell me to book this one, yo…might as well, seein' the risk of low seatin'." King warned.

"Yeah…we'll take two tickets, please." Andy finalized.

(Andy & King- 4th on World Flyer 1004)

"So, how many seats are left now?"

"There aren't any…you guys got the last ones." The Snifit informed the pair.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Giant Land International, Cloud Flyers Counter)**

"5:10 doesn't sound like too bad of a time, does it?" Hamma queried.

"Nope…sounds good to me. We'll take two." Flare told the agent.

(Hamma & Flare- 1st on Cloud Flyers 34)

"Hopefully we'll be the first to land and just lead the way the whole leg…man, that'd be so great if we could just coast on through!"

**To & Too/Andy & King (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"Please, guys?" To and Too smiled brightly.

"Uh…I don't know…" King K. rubbed the back of his head uneasily. "Should we?"

"…Um…well, if you two don't tell anyone else." Andy sighed. "We can trust you guys, right? We don't exactly expect you to return the favor, but it's just that we don't want too many teams on our flight."

"Oh, is that it?" To raised an eyebrow. "It's okay…you can trust us, don't you worry yourself."

"Yup! Anyways, we weren't able to figure it out…it's like a perfect unscramble." Too shrugged.

"Well…okay…but we'll leave you two to get your own flight, alright?" Andy suggested, flashing the sisters his Route Info, which had the name of the locale circled.

"Thanks Andy, King! We love you guys!" To and Too cheered sweetly and headed off towards the counters.

"The girls ain't bad…but you just gotta be wary when you're in such a contest, you know?" King explained. "We felt safe telling them the information…they don't got nothin' bad on us, so we don't have it on 'em…so we went ahead and helped." (After-Leg Interview)

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"Great…those three snotty allied guys wouldn't spill anythin'!" Pungent complained. "We still ain't got no lead…"

"I'm trying to figure it out, Pungent…really." Pungry insisted. "I just can't figure it out."

"…Well…I'll go tryin' ask someone else, then…" Pungent sighed. "Didn't think I could feel any smaller, tryin' to beg for information…"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Giant Land International, Cloud Flyers Counter)**

"Well, it took me this long to figure it out…good thing it doesn't take as long to just buy tickets." Beldam muttered under her breath.

(Beldam & Queen- 2nd on Cloud Flyers 34)

"Serving wench, get over here! I want my morning glass of orange juice along with a Peachy Peach!" Queen ordered.

"…What the heck do you take me for?" Beldam shouted.

**Pungry & Pungent/Andy & King (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"Sorry, but we can't exactly share that kind of info with you…" Andy said, half apologetic and half sarcastic.

"Urgh…thanks anyways…"

Walking away dejectedly, the two Punis sighed.

"I just can't figure it out…why won't anyone share any information with us?" Pungry questioned. "Did we do something wrong?"

"Don't think so…just think they're all a bunch o' jerks…" Pungent remarked.

**To & Too: Sisters (Giant Land International, Cloud Flyers Counter)**

"Two tickets, please."

"We'd appreciate it very much."

(To & Too- 3rd on Cloud Flyers 34)

"Thank goodness…we finally got tickets! I didn't know if we'd ever find an airlines with a decent flight…" Too said.

"Yeah…what a relief." To stated. "I'm hungry…let's go get some breakfast."

"I'm all for that!"

**Pungry & Pungent/Hamma & Flare (Giant Land International Ticket Sector)**

"Are you serious? You'll tell us?" Pungry asked hopefully.

"Sure…why not? We scratch your back…you scratch ours, though." Flare warned.

"Yeah…we're not going to just share like that…you gotta earn it." Hamma said.

"What do we gotta do, then?" Pungent questioned.

"Well…you know how those other three teams allied?" Flare started.

"Yeah…they didn't share any info with us, either." Pungry mumbled.

"Not a surprise…they want to stick together and knock the rest of us off, man. They're a real threat to our success…this is how we get rid of 'em…" Flare muttered, a glint of malevolence in his eye.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Giant Land International, Cloud Flyers Counter)**

"…Is that with an 'e' or with a 'u?'"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ice skating is so much fun in the summertime! You get to trample all over your neighbor's flowers!)" Smorgo exclaimed excitedly.

"…Uh-huh…I see…I think."

(Smorgo & Smorga- 4th on Cloud Flyers 34)

The large Koopa just stared as the two Smorg bounced off.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It is so amazing that plants can grow in such volcanoes such as this one!)" Smorga remarked.

**Pungry & Pungent/Hamma & Flare (Giant Land International, Cloud Flyers Counter)**

"…and that's how we do it." Flare ended.

"…Are you sure that's a good idea? It seems really…extreme…" Pungry said worriedly.

"Don't worry your head about it." Flare replied.

"Yeah, go just buy your tickets and think about it later…if you don't want to do it, you'll just have to pay us back some other time…" Hamma snickered.

"Thanks a bunch, guys!" Pungry said as they headed towards the line.

"Yeah, we owe ya!"

(Pungry & Pungent – 5th on Cloud Flyers 34)

"Believe me…we know." Flare whispered.

-----

**(World Flyer 1004- Departing at 8:01 A.M.)**

Sitting in a group together at the front of the plane, the three teams of the alliance were having a friendly conversation that was non-race related. Farther back, minding their own business, were the homeboys, who were listening to music through headphones. All eight looked out the windows as the plane took off.

-----

**(Cloud Flyers 34- Departing at 8:57 A.M.)**

Having not expected to see the two Smorg sitting in a seat while smelling like garbage, vomit, and moldy food, the Shadow Queen had bartered with another party to switch spots…forcefully. Discussing their options about their debt to the brothers, the best friends anxiously sat in the back, talking extensively and once in a while, glancing over a few rows in front of them, where the Hammer and Fire Brothers were sitting. Up close to the very front of the flight were the sisters, who were both enjoying a bit of an after-breakfast snack.

-----

_All nine teams are now flying on two separate planes to the Beanbean Kingdom. On flight one, World Flyer 1004, scheduled to arrive at 4:30 P.M. local time, are express workers Shimi and Waitress, homeboys Andy and King, possibly dating couple Zess and Toadsworth, and married couple Husband and Wife. On the second plane, Cloud Flyers 34, scheduled to arrive at 5:10 P.M., are sisters To and Too, brothers Hamma and Flare, things Smorgo and Smorga, best friends Pungry and Pungent, and shadow folk Beldam and Queen._

-----

Beanbean International, an outdoor station with very few conveyor belts and even fewer service counters, seemed like a newly-born settlement implanted in the wilderness—the single runway was left with the impressions of something alive having once inhabited the far end, and small outhouses with water flowing freely out of pipes were scattered here and there. The whole airstrip was located over the water—a wooden bridge connected the runway to the main 'building,' which was connected to the mainland by yet another wooden bridge.

**(World Flyer 1004- Arriving at 4:49 P.M.)**

**Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife/Shimi & Waitress- Currently in 1st (Beanbean Int'l Service Station)**

Running from the runway, where the staircase had let them out, the three-team alliance rushed over several bridges before finally reaching a grassy bit of land with two orbs charged by electricity on both sides. In a small clearing just right next to them were several marked cars, each with a clue envelope sitting behind a windshield wiper.

The first to reach his marked car, Husband quickly opened an envelope and noticed that there were two slips of paper inside—Route Info, as well as a purple card labeled 'Hazard.' Making note of the latter, he opted to open the Route Info first, just as his partner caught up.

"Make your way by marked car to the Chateau de Chucklehuck and head through to get into Chucklehuck Woods. Once inside, head for the Tiny Hole, where your next clue is located." Husband read.

_Teams must now make their way approximately half a mile by marked car to this place: Chateau de Chucklehuck, home of Chuckola Cola. Once here, they will need to abandon their marked cars, head inside, and figure out this confusing and claustrophobic barrel maze to make it out of the building and into Chucklehuck Woods. This large forest is the only place in the world where the rare Chuckola Fruit, an item necessary for the famous Chuckola Cola, is found. Teams will find their next clue at this clearing, known as Chucklehuck Woods Tiny Hole._

"That sounds easy enough…but where is this…Chateau de…Chucklehuck?" Wife asked quizzically.

"I picked up a map of the Beanbean Kingdom at the airport, everyone! Just follow us!" Zess announced.

"Will do!" Shimi declared.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 4th (SE Beanbean, Beanbean Int'l Entrance)**

"…and head for the Tiny Hole, where your next clue is located." Andy finished.

"Let's move!" King said, flashing a small map he'd picked up.

"You're right on it today!" Andy exclaimed. "Wait, hold up! There's another card in here…a…Hazard?"

_A Hazard is a time-consuming task that teams can perform to claim one of several different items that could potentially change the course of the race, but to do so, they will have to risk their own existence as racers. Once a team completes a Hazard, they cannot do another for the rest of the race—however, the items available on each one can change._

_In this, the first of three Hazards on the race, teams will have to make their way slightly east of Beanbean International Airport and locate this place: Harhall's Studio, the working place of a fashion genius and original creator of the Splart clothing line. Once inside, teams will have to claim a workstation in front of a hanging shirt. Using water guns, teams will need to hit Designbombs into the clean template to create eight different styles of Harhall's choosing: red star, orange tropical, yellow checkered, green polka-dot, blue stripe, purple tropical, brown checkered, and brown star. After completing this daunting task, the team will gain access to one of five available slips that will grant them a certain power._

"Create eight shirt designs at Harhall's Fashion Studio by blasting Designbombs with water guns…oh, wow…didn't see anything like this coming…" Andy gasped. "Think we have time for it?"

"Yep, I do…but I think we'd be between a shell and a tight spot if we went for it, dawg." King warned. "Ain't necessary if we don't gotta."

"Right…so I guess we just head off for the chateau, then."

-----

Chateau de Chucklehuck, a building deemed inaccessible by normal means, was a structure raised high atop a set of ledges. It was obvious that the staircase leading from ground level up to the hill had been recently built, shown by the lack of debris scattered on the steps.

**Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife/Shimi & Waitress (Chateau de Chucklehuck Entrance)**

After navigating through the countryside of trees and other various protrusions, the three marked cars parked in front of the tall ledge that led to the winery. Rushing out, they jogged as a group up the cluttered stairs and past the guards, who simply nodded as they went through the gates.

"I remember when Mario and Luigi informed me of this interesting place…they found it quite rugged and hard to navigate." Toadsworth reminisced.

"Evidently, they weren't kidding." Waitress remarked.

Jumping over bits of ledges here and there, the group eventually made its way to the entrance of the chateau. Heading through the doors and down the hall, they all ignored the facts about how to make Chuckola Cola and hurried into the room at the end, only to skid to a stop.

"What in the world?!" Zess gasped.

"…I'll ask only once. What's with all the barrels?" Husband queried.

Nearly the entire room was filled with barrels, stacked on top of each other in a large and confusing maze. Noticing a flag above the entrance, Shimi flopped toward it, and beckoned for the others to follow.

"So, we should stick together, right?" Shimi asked.

"Please! After suffering through that vile setup of pitfalls and stuff that we endured back at Big Boldrage, I'm not taking any chances…" Zess muttered, grabbing Toadsworth's hand.

"Which way?" Wife asked upon coming to a fork. "You two are the maze geniuses."

"…Right, but when we did the other, we didn't have such a disturbingly low roof…" Toadsworth said, glancing up at the ceiling of barrel sides above his head. "We were so much calmer…but this, old bean…this, is a scary maze."

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Chateau de Chucklehuck Barrel Maze)**

"…Whoa." King grimaced. "I'da hate to've made this here baby…whodunit musta hada ton of time on their hands, dawg…"

"I agree…" Andy responded. "…Oh, turn back…it's a dead end…"

**Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife/Shimi & Waitress (Chateau de Chucklehuck Barrel Maze)**

"Oh, splendid…we're out." Toadsworth breathed a sigh of relief. "That was much easier in comparison to what we dealt with yesterday…"

"Tell me about it…" Zess murmured.

"We need to locate the Tiny Hole in Chucklehuck Woods, gang…so we need to head out the doors! Come on!" Husband urged. "Can't let those guys catch up with us!"

"I'm sure they fill in food time…" Shimi stated.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Chateau de Chucklehuck Barrel Maze)**

"Okay…it was a bit nerve-wracking, but at least we're done with it." Andy said, stepping out from the exit.

"Fo' shizzle…I agree with ya."

-----

**Husband & Wife/Shimi & Waitress/Zess & Toadsworth- Currently in 1st (Chucklehuck Woods, Tiny Hole)**

"Let's see…it's a…Detour?" Wife queried. "Reflected or Undetected… 'How good are you at adapting to a new situation?'"

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams will have to choose between two activities commonly performed in deep Chucklehuck Woods. The choice? Reflected or Undetected._

_In Reflected, teams will have to take the western path into Winkle territory, and locate this place—Winkle Colosseum, a gaming center run by snail-like creatures in the depths of the forest. Inside, teams will have to partake in a session of Chuckola Bounce, a game that truly tests the teamwork of couples. While holding a reflecting mirror, teams will have to deflect energy balls spit at them to get rid of the Chuckoroks surrounding them, and successfully hit 28 within the time frame it takes for a Winkle to cross the room, approximately one minute. If a team can do so, they will receive their next clue. However, this game is usually very difficult to master on the first try, and only one session can occur at a time, so it is first-come, first-served._

_In Undetected, teams will have to travel north and claim one of these workstations, where they will be provided with the tools and equipment needed to construct one of two Chuck Guy traps—variations on the trou de loop and snag net. Using two examples as references for the structure and style of the snares, teams will have to build the capturers with absolutely no aide from the Chuck Guys. Once they feel they are finished, they will need to get approval from one. Once they get an okay, they will be required to test out their trap by chasing an unsuspecting Pestnut into it. After having done so, they will receive their next clue._

"This sounds pretty self-explanatory…" Waitress murmured. "We should all probably do Undetected…so we won't have to split up."

"But are we able to help each other?" Husband asked worriedly.

"It only says that we can't be helped by the Spear Guys…it is likely that we can aide each other." Toadsworth stated.

"Then I guess it's the obvious choice to bathroom—er, perform?" Shimi asked.

"Yeah…let's go for it!" Zess confirmed. The group headed for the northernmost entrance.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 4th (Chucklehuck Woods, Tiny Hole)**

"'How good are you at adapting to a new situation?'" King read. "Sounds like we're best suited for this Reflected…"

"Right…I don't think the other teams will go for it, so we'll be able to retry in case we don't make it the first time." Andy remarked. "Come on, we should hurry."

The two took off in a dash through the western entrance.

-----

**(Cloud Flyers 34- Arriving at 5:12 P.M.)**

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 5th (SE Beanbean, Beanbean Int'l Entrance)**

First out of the plane and the outdoor airport, the sisters quickly clambered to their car.

"Hey, what's this…" Too pulled out the purple card out from behind the Route Info. "Hazard…this sounds pretty interesting… What do you think we should do?"

"I think we should go for it! We've got a sense of fashion, so why not?" To giggled.

Leaving their marked car, the two ran eastward towards the neighboring fashion studio.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 5th (SE Beanbean, Beanbean Int'l Entrance)**

"Chateau de Chucklehuck…alright." Beldam got behind the wheel. "…Queen, will you hurry it up?!"

"Shut your trap before I poke it off, woman!" Queen said, drinking a can of Chuckola Cola. "I can't believe that they confiscate soda on Beanbean planes…what a pain! You'd think soda was bad for you or something…"

Burping like crazy as she climbed into the car, the Shadow Queen released a large belch right near an agitated Beldam's face.

"…You're despicable."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 6th (SE Beanbean, Beanbean Int'l Entrance)**

"We don't need anything like this…" Flare muttered, tossing the Hazard card away carelessly.

"Yeah…besides, you ain't got no fashion sense, either." Hamma laughed, but had to duck to avoid a punch to the head.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 7th (SE Beanbean, Beanbean Int'l Entrance)**

"…Alright…they're gone." Pungent whispered.

The two Punis came out from their hiding spot behind a tree.

"We informed the brothers that we didn't want to help them in their plot in trying to bring down the alliance between the other three teams, since we didn't even really in truth know what it was…we didn't want to get mixed up in something that might bother us forever." Pungry sighed. "So…we'll have to pay them back with information in a future leg or something I guess…they seemed sort of threatening when they accepted our decision, though…" (During-Leg Interview)

"Hazard…this is already hazardous enough, so we surely don't want more of it…" Pungry muttered, opening the Route Info.

"What it say?"

"We're driving off to Chateau de Chucklehuck."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 8th (SE Beanbean, Beanbean Int'l Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Fa la la la le ta di do cartoon glass!)" Smorgo laughed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Candy takes the popping sounds of my filet!)" Smorga answered.

Ramming into the license plate of their marked car, the two Smorg dizzily rolled back and plopped into the water. Seconds later, they came back out, dripping wet and loaded down with salt, kelp, and other shallow water gunk.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

"Man…that was so close, but we just missed it!" Andy wiped his forehead.

"Yeah…those magical things make my hands all tingly, man! Feels freaky and supernatural or somethin'…" King said, shaking out his wrists.

"You get rid of 24 Chuckoroks. Try again for goal?" The Winkle asked. "No line, no wait."

"Sure thing…"

Taking up their glass once again, the two Glitzville fighters prepared themselves as the Chuckoroks appeared once more in the circular arena, suspended over the water. As the Winkle headed back towards the other side of the room, the animated boulders started spitting out energy balls.

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/Husband & Wife (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

"Okay…so we set these rods across the hole?" Wife asked.

"No, babe…look at that example. We gotta do that stuff to the bottom of it first." Husband reminded.

Trying their best to work together without yelling at each other, Husband and Wife scanned the example trap they'd been given to work with. Since there were five work stations for pit traps and five for net traps, the group of three teams was able to work together at making what they thought would be easier—a pit trap covered with an array of sticks, leaves, branches, and grass, with seemingly impossible slopes on the inside. The other type of trap was a version of the classic net—complete with ropes on all four sides, and an attachment to a tree branch.

"It looks like we need to mold the inside of it with these cylinders and fill the outside with this hardened dirt before we compact it all…" Toadsworth observed. "Here, hold the mold in place…"

"Alright…" Zess complied, taking hold of the cylindrical-shaped sheet and placing it in the pre-made hole.

"You guys have an idea on how to do this? Because, we're completely stuck." Waitress announced.

"Seems that we're at a boss of how to coo this." Shimi muttered.

"Just watch this and see if we can get it right…then maybe you guys can repeat it." Zess suggested.

"Well, we'll try." Wife said.

The group watched as Toadsworth poured a large sack of organic material into the space around the mold.

"Zess and Toadsworth have this amazing logic ability…they were able to figure out how to make the pitfall so quickly just by looking at the examples we were shown. We're lucky to have allied with them." Husband remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Harhall's Studio)**

"Okay…we've got three of the designs so far…" To mumbled.

"They're really pretty!" Too added.

"Yeah, they are!"

Admiring their work on the first three shirts they'd already made by shooting Designboms with water guns, the sisters quickly refilled their armaments using a nearby pipe.

"You two have splendid cooperation…just marvelous!" Harhall exclaimed, rubbing his chin. "Not only is your Splart-making skill top-notch, but your own fashion sense is superb…"

To and Too looked at each other.

"Uh…thank you."

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Chateau de Chucklehuck Barrel Maze)**

"This is a little frustrating…I can't tell which way to go, and if we tried going underground, we'd probably get lost amongst all the shadows…" Beldam muttered.

"Quit your senseless bumbling, you peasant! It's not like you're helping anyone…I say we go this way, as it looks the most promising." Queen commanded.

The Shadow Queen led her partner straight smack into a dead end.

"This is all your fault, Beldam!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Chateau de Chucklehuck Front Hall)**

"…You actually tell jokes to make the fruit laugh? That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Hamma remarked upon reading the plaques in front of the third diorama.

"I bet bad jokes make the soda taste bad…I've tasted that stuff before, and it was different every single time." Flare mentioned, reading the plaque on the fourth diorama.

"Whoever works here, telling jokes to barrels is probably drunk, a crack, or mentally retarded." Hamma stated. "Probably that nut on this platform…"

After making fun of the statue of the chateau's owner, Bubbles, the brothers entered the room with the barrel maze in it.

"…Scratch that. Whoever made this thing was drunk, on crack, or mentally retarded…" Flare said, motioning towards the structure of barrels.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Chateau de Chucklehuck Entrance)**

"These ledges are bein' a pain in the bulb!" Pungent complained.

"There's only a few more until we reach the door…just hang in there…" Pungry said encouragingly.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Beanbean Int'l)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Sing with me the song about how to jog for fifteen miles without breathing a single inch!)" Smorgo declared.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I'll never listen to your pens of wisdom words ever again, you cad!)" Smorga retorted.

Riding on the conveyor belts of the airport, completely oblivious to whatever was going on around them, the two Smorg bounced up and down randomly, scattering dirt and filth here and there.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 1st (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

"Whew…that took a while, but we finally did it…" Andy sighed.

"Good job to you pair. Here your clue for race." The Winkle presented the fighters with an envelope emblazoned with the race logo.

"Thanks, dawg!" King ripped it open, throwing the paper strip into a nearby trashcan. "Alright… 'Drive yourselves to the Yoshi Theater in Northwest Beanbean and locate the owner, Boddle, to receive your next clue.'"

_Teams must now drive themselves approximately three miles to this place: the Yoshi Theater in Northwestern Beanbean. This unique cinema, the only one in the world to have a sign with Neon Eggs, is one of the only congregating places in the entire kingdom where Yoshis can be found. Teams will have to search for Boddle, the great Yoshi enthusiast who build this grand theater, to receive their next clue._

"Winkle acknowledge you. Go in peace."

"Will do, man! Thanks a bunch!"

Picking up their backpacks, the pair of fighters ran out of the theater and headed back towards the cavern that would bring them back into Chucklehuck Woods.

**Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife/Shimi & Waitress (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

Working diligently to complete their trap, the elderly Toads quickly covered the rods branched on top of their workstation with leaves, grass, and dirt.

"This is okay, right?" Waitress asked hopefully.

"Please say yes…" Shimi crossed his fins.

"…The mixture should harden by the time you're done with covering it since you already added the water, so…yeah. Go ahead and start covering…then ask again when you're ready." The Chuck Guy instructed, expertly twirling his spear about.

"…No. You obviously bent the mold while you were filling it…it's too concave, so I'm going to have to ask you to start over."

"What?! You're kidding!" Husband growled.

"You can't be serious…just figuring out how to do this was hard enough!" Wife whined.

"Nope. Start over." Commanded the Chuck Guy, who thrust his spear into the ground next to the workstation.

Expressing their frustration by making an array of strange noises, the married couple reluctantly headed over to a back-up trap.

"Don't fret…we'll help you as soon as we finish." Toadsworth reassured, scattering several grass clumps around the trap.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 5th (Chucklehuck Woods, Tiny Hole)**

"Detour…Reflected or Undetected. 'How good are you at adapting to a new situation?'" Hamma read. "…Hey, a colosseum, huh? That should be a piece of cake!"

"You said it! Now let's go!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 6th (Chucklehuck Woods, Tiny Hole)**

"I think we're better off building a trap than we are at completing something where we actually have to work together…" Beldam said. "…Just what do you think you're doing?"

Queen stopped smashing the mushroom with her fist.

"Well, these glowing fungi are so ugly! I don't like the way they glow, so they deserve to be squashed." Queen declared.

"…You are SUCH a freak!" Beldam pulled Queen away from the mushroom patch and through the path that had hedges on both sides.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Harhall's Studio)**

"The eighth and final one! Magnificent! Truly magnificent!"

Harhall quickly shook hands with the girls before pulling a small chest out from behind where he'd been standing. He opened it to reveal several small poles that looked almost like magic wands.

"We need to choose carefully to make sure that this wasn't wasted…I just hope we can catch up in time." To murmured.

"Which one should we get?" Too asked. "There's a small description under each one with the sacrifice and what you gain…"

Still contemplating over their options, the duo checked over each explanation in front of the poles—there were five, in the colors of yellow, black, green, tan, and red.

"Currency…Leech…Zipper…Sands…and Pause…" To pondered. "Two of these force us to hurt another team if we get them…"

"Not really…this one doesn't hurt another team…" Too said, holding up the Leech Rod. "It sounds pretty risky, though…"

"Right…I think we should just stick with the Zipper Rod, just in case something happens." To said. "…No…actually, maybe we should take the Leech Rod."

"Are you sure?" Too questioned.

"No, but we need to make up our minds and leave…so, let's just get it." To decided. Harhall smirked, and closed the chest.

_Having completed the Hazard, To and Too have been allowed to select one of several items that could potentially change the outcome of the race. Their selection was that of the black pole. The Leech Rod may only be used at the start of a leg, but before activating it, the team using it will have to decide which team they want to follow. After having done so, they will be allowed to complete the leg normally, but their placement will either be one above or one below that of the team they selected, no matter when they arrived. Depending on the outcome of a coin toss, the rod users will be placed accordingly. However, using it comes at another cost—their departure from that pit stop will be delayed by four hours, a large amount of time in which anything could happen._

"Hopefully we won't be following a last-place team on that leg, then…what if we don't use it all during the race?" Too asked.

"It says that we'd have that same four-hour penalty once we arrived at the finish line!" To gasped. "Oh, well…we'll know when to use it, I guess."

Scooping up their backpacks, the sisters headed for the exit of the studio. After about a minute, they were back at their marked car and on the road to Chateau de Chucklehuck.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (SE Beanbean, Beanbean Int'l Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Take your pizza and drink that barbell, or else your broccoli might spoil your central processing unit.)" Smorgo warned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I wouldn't miss it for the world, darling…now what was that deal about playing cards?)" Smorga asked.

Seeing the sisters drive off, the Smorg crashed through their windshield and into their marked car before following.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 7th (Chucklehuck Woods, Tiny Hole)**

"Detour. Reflected or Undetected." Pungry stated. "Okay, making a trap is something we probably wouldn't be able to do…"

"Right you are…so then, off to the colosseum we go!" Pungent exclaimed.

**Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife/Shimi & Waitress/Beldam & Queen (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

"It's heading for it!" Zess exclaimed.

The Pestnut the Toads were chasing rolled on top of their trap, and instantly fell in as the thin rods broke. As the two peered down into the hole, they discovered that no matter how the creature tried to roll, it couldn't get back up and out.

"Very well done…here's your clue." The Chuck Guy handed an envelope to Toadsworth.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 2nd (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

"Thank you, kind sir…" Toadsworth bowed. "…We're off to the Yoshi Theater now, old bean…"

"Really? Well what about…" Zess turned to their alliance mates. "Guys, do you want us to wait for you?"

"No, go ahead…we'll catch up…eventually…" Wife replied.

"Tch…somehow, we will." Husband added.

As the Toads left the scene, Shimi and Waitress started trying to chase a Pestnut into their pitfall.

"I really cope I don't end up stalling into the flap!" Shimi remarked, bouncing after the spiked creature.

"I don't know what that piece of sushi just said, but it's creeping me out!" Queen shuddered.

"Will you help me for once?!" Beldam asked, trying to get her partner to focus.

Rather than going through the work of filling a mold, Beldam had decided to go for the net trap, and had started laying out the rope and knots, as well as the net.

"You know, that net looks awfully useful for some fish-catching…" Queen snickered.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

"Ow! Geez, that feels so friggin' weird!"

Just as the Winkle reached the opposite end of the room, another set of energy blasts ended up hitting both of the brothers.

"You not make goal, only get rid of 15 Chuckoroks. Try again to meet standard?" The Winkle asked.

"Sure…but this time, get them to spit out more Golden Mushrooms so we don't have to work so hard…" Hamma said sarcastically.

As the Winkle started back off for his original spot, the Punis arrived on the scene.

"A little too late to catch the next run…darn!" Pungent made a clicking noise.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 3rd (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

"Yahoo! We got it!" Shimi laughed as the Pestnut fell into the trap, causing its bristles to fall off and revealing an aggravated Beanie.

"Here you go…" A Chuck Guy handed an envelope to the train workers.

"Awesome!" Waitress took out the Route Info. "…Okay… 'Drive yourselves to the Yoshi Theater…'"

"Babe, work a little faster, will ya? We got to make up for lost time!" Husband reminded.

"I'm trying, hon, I'm trying!" Wife responded, spreading grass and leaves over the thin, crumbly sticks. "We're almost done…"

"Ahahaha…this'll be so great, watching one of those stupid little green porcupines zipping up into the tree…" Queen cackled. "Hurry up with that trap, wench."

"…I'm not your wench!" Beldam shouted.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 4th (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

After cooperating a little better, the two major leaguers were able to knock out 28 Chuckoroks on their second time, just as the Winkle reached the ending point.

"You make goal…here clue. Winkle acknowledge your teamwork."

"…Language…therapy." Flare said slowly.

"You're one to talk…" Hamma rolled his eyes.

"Yer both ones to talk! Now move it so we can have our turn!" Pungent commanded.

"…Eep…" Pungry squeaked.

Although the brothers seemed a little startled, they eyed the Punis warily before heading out of the building.

"…For a second there, I thought I was going to have a heart attack…" Pungry sighed.

"We dodged a bullet there…we really thought the brothers would do something to us…" Pungy remarked. (After-Leg Interview)

-----

The Yoshi Theater, an extravagant cinema of color and glamour, rested in a small cove protected on three sides by a rocky mountain wall. Its outside glowed with the beautiful lights of several different neon signs and pictures, the most notable of which was the colorful arrangement of Neon Eggs atop the entrance.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 1st (Yoshi Theater, Entrance)**

After parking their marked car just inside the cove, the best friends leapt out and headed for the entrance. It seemed that although the site was a stopping point for the race, business wouldn't be ceasing for the day—the ticket counters were still open, and there were several Yoshis talking and playing outside.

"Man…I've never seen this many Yoshis before…this is rad, yo!" King K. remarked.

"You said it."

Heading into the theater, the homeboys looked around in the lobby. The only two people in the room at the moment were the two owners and managers of the theater—Yoshi enthusiast Boddle and Neon Egg specialist Fava, both of which were conversing with each other in front of the set of movie posters, seemingly to try and act inconspicuous.

"Might one of you be Boddle?" Andy asked curiously to the duo.

"Uh…well, yes." Boddle raised his hand meekly, and reached behind his back before producing a clue envelope.

"Thanks, dawg." King said appreciatively.

"Okay…" Andy opened the clue. "'Make your way to the base of Hoohoo Mountain and locate the Mysterious Mine Carts cavern. Search inside for your next clue.'"

_Teams must now drive approximately two miles to the base of Hoohoo Mountain, a mysterious summit bordering Stardust Fields, and locate this cavern, the exit to the Mysterious Mine Carts cave. Inside, teams will find their next clue._

"Sounds easy enough…let's move it!"

The two made their way back to their marked car. Bandy Andy backed it up, and drove off.

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 5th (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

"Oh, thank you…finally we can get out of this wretched forest…" Wife muttered, wiping her hands on her pants. "What's that clue say?"

"We're headed to the Yoshi Theater…maybe we can catch up to the others if we hurry!"

The Twilians ran off, leaving Beldam and Queen alone in the field with the Chuck Guys and Pestnuts.

"Beldam, hurry up! I want to see a prickly-thingy get all tangled up!" Queen ordered maliciously while rubbing her hands together.

"Well, perhaps if you'd help, I could get this done quicker!" Beldam shot back. "Let's see…okay, there's one more thing I need to set on that side…"

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

"That ain't any good…we only got 21 that there time…" Pungent muttered. "This is seemin' a bit impossible."

"Come on, Pungent…we can get it if we try again." Pungry reassured.

"Whatever…these energy balls are starting to make me dizzy…" Pungent complained.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 8th (Chucklehuck Woods, Tiny Hole)**

"It's a Detour…um…Reflected or Undetected." To read. "Oh, we get to build a trap? That sounds pretty cool!"

"Are you serious?!" Too looked at the card. "Awesome! We totally HAVE to do Undetected!"

Ecstatic about the possibilities of an innocent prank, the sisters headed towards the trap station.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in Last (Chucklehuck Woods, Tiny Hole)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Say if I were to advertise you a new, fifty-dollar silver-covered pencil of shame? What would you do?)" Smorga asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Much to my dismay, I look like a turkey apple!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

Leaping onto the clue box, Smorga rolled around slightly, causing the envelope to get stuck. Falling off, he/she/it then bounced off of a mushroom towards the western path.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Wait up for your honey bun of oats!)" Smorgo shouted, rolling to follow.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

"You're good to go…get one of those Pestnuts to be trapped in your net, and you'll be done." The Chuck Guy said, flipping his spear.

"FINALLY!" Queen shrieked. "It took you long enough, Beldam…anyways, now we can chase those little bristles into the net! Yoo-hoo! Little prickly-thingy…come to mama…"

"…For once, I think I'll sit down and let her do all the work." Beldam muttered, actually 'sitting' on the ground as Queen took to chasing a Pestnut.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 2nd (Yoshi Theater Lobby)**

"Thank you very much." Toadsworth said gratefully. "Quite grand of a place you have here, old chap."

"Yup! It was in work for quite some time before its grand opening, not too long ago…we've got business coming in from around the world!" Fava exclaimed proudly.

"Toadsy, we're heading to a place called 'Mysterious Mine Carts.' Ever heard of it?" Zess inquired.

"…Can't say I have…we'll have to search for it." Toadsworth remarked.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 3rd (Yoshi Theater Entrance)**

"Guys, where's Boddle at?" Waitress asked through the window of the marked car.

"He's in the lobby. Yoshi-themed clothes and stuff…can't miss 'em." Zess explained as Toadsworth backed their vehicle out of the cove.

"Thanks!"

Running inside the theater, it didn't take long for the train workers to locate the cinema owner and get their clue.

"'Make your stay at the base of Hootenanny Megan's and lozenges the Mystic Mint Cards cadence. Starch is inside for your next shmoo." Shimi read.

Waitress just stared at her partner in disbelief before looking at the clue card herself.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

"Man! We failed it again!" Pungent groaned. "Whaddya say we switch tasks, Pungry? We obviously ain't makin' much progress on this challenge…"  
"I guess you're right…but what if the other one ends up being harder than this one?" Pungry asked quizzically.

"Don't know…" Pungent rolled his eyes.

"You have time to think it." The Winkle stated. "There other team come for task."

"SMORGSMORG—"

"Oh, please no…" Pungry and Pungent muttered at the same time.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Your favorite ocean desire and lotion soap are back, with all new fluorescent seaweed! Now comes in clear, invisible, and see-through!)" Smorgo advertised.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Receiving is better than giving to chocolate milk, because vanilla hates chips!)" Smorga added.

The two Punis groaned as the Smorg rolled into the colosseum for a try at the task.

"They're going to take forever…" Pungry groaned.

**Beldam & Queen/To & Too (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

Working busily on their own net trap, To and Too tried to ignore Queen's shouts and yells as she chased the Pestnut around the clearing, trying to get it to trigger the mechanism and be raised into the air.

"Get back here, you spiky thingamajig!" Queen yelled. "If that trap doesn't go off in the next ten seconds, oh so help me, I'm going to—AAAAAHHH!"

Screeching wildly, the Shadow Queen flailed about as she ended up getting trapped in the net.

"BELDAM, YOU IDIOT! WHY'D YOU MOVE THE TRAP AND MAKE IT HARD FOR ME TO SEE IT?!" Queen shrieked.

"What are you talking about?! I've been sitting here the whole time!" Beldam argued.

"Oh, brother…" The Chuck Guy sighed, and cut Beldam free using his spear. "Since you only completed one part of the task, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to redo the net and next time…capture the Pestnut."

To and Too laughed as both Beldam and Queen fumed at their bad luck, and started to argue even more.

**Smorgo & Smorga/Pungry & Pungent (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

As predicted by the Punis, the Smorg ended up failing…although they weren't even trying, they'd somehow managed to push back a total of 11 Chuckoroks.

"Man…those things don't even exert no effort, and look at what they get…that ain't fair!" Pungent grumbled.

"We'll have to just hope that we can reflect all the energy bursts this time…" Pungry remarked as he and Pungent headed back into the colosseum.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Did you know that there are exactly eight types of bell-bottom pants in the trees above our heads right now?)" Smorgo inquired.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Authentic lenses take forever to foam at the mouth…oh, hello! How has your cream pie been?)" Smorga asked.

Rolling about absentmindedly, the Smorg ended up crashing into a trash can, resulting in the contents being strewn about the floor. Needless to say, there was no need for a cleanup crew in the case of the ground…

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 4th (Yoshi Theater Lobby)**

"Thanks." Hamma opened the envelope. "Okay…Mysterious Mine Carts Cavern. We're headed there next."

"Right, then…" Flare stated. "So, move your butt and let's go!"

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 5th (Yoshi Theater Lobby)**

"Ooh, the Legend of Stafy…I've always wanted to see that movie…" Wife cooed. "Always, always, always!"

"…Babe, now's not the time for one of your 'I wanted this since I was a kid' moments." Husband berated, opening the clue. "…Mysterious Mine Carts at the base of Hoohoo Mountain…where's a map when you need one…"

"Right here!" Wife said, pulling out a map from a holder in front of the theater. "We were so lucky that there was a sign directing us towards this place, too…it might not be the case for wherever we're going next."

"No duh. Come on."

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 6th (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

"YES! THANK YOU!" Pungent hollered. "'Bout time we did it right!"

"You beat standard, so you gain clue." The Winkle said, handing over an envelope.

"'Drive yourselves to the Yoshi Theater…'" Pungry began.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 7th (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

After finishing their net trap, the sisters quickly cooperated to chase a Pestnut into rolling over the hidden mesh, causing it to swing up and into a tree, leaving the mostly defenseless creature to dangle like a tangled piñata.

"Here's your clue…pretty decent trap, too." The Chuck Guy said.

"Hehe, thanks…" To giggled. "Quick, open it, Too…what does it say?"

"We need to go to the Yoshi Theater and find someone named Boddle to get the next clue." Too informed.

"THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING! First, you humiliate me by making me get stuck in that stupid net! Then, that stupid Shy Guy native wanna-be has to go and cut my ropes! And even then, those two girls come and go faster than we do! HOW INFURIATING!" Queen screamed. "This has got to be the most one-sided day of my entire life! Thanks a lot, Beldam!"

"…I seriously have no idea what you're talking about," Beldam began, "but unless you want to catch up, we're hauling our butts out on elimination today! Then, we'll just see how your reputation goes…"

"Oh, my reputation is rock solid." Queen said matter-of-factly. "Actually, it's yours that I'm worried about. In a word…it's awful."

"…Okay…you're just the biggest—"

-----

Hoohoo Mountain, a tall slab of rock that spiraled into a height on par with that of Stardust Fields, was the site of a wondrous waterfall, as well as a remarkably unique aura of mysteriousness. Strange hieroglyphics were etched into the rock walls here and there, and entangled vines dangled down this way and that from old-looking trees nearby. Moss grew in certain areas of the stone, and very old cracks could be seen, scattered amongst the boulders.

A first marked car pulled up to the base of Hoohoo Mountain.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Hoohoo Mountain Base)**

Jumping out of their car, Andy and King quickly headed across the bridge that led over the water to another rocky platform that housed a weird-looking door, shaped like a mustached mouth with a tongue sticking out.

"This place has WAAY too many references to laughter, yo…"

Heading inside the cavern exit, the two made note of an old bean sitting in a rocking chair. Several yards away, in front of a wooden post, was the clue box.

"Let's see…" Bandy Andy opened the envelope. "Roadblock. 'Which one of you is the gem of your team?'"

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock, that person will have to take a mine cart deep into the depths of the Mysterious Mine Carts cavern. Using a provided pickax, team members will have to crack open rocks in this marked section of the cave until they uncover a hidden gemstone. Once they've done so, they will have to take it back to the exit of the mine to get a small tag to attach before they can head back to the exit. After presenting their tagged gemstone to the mine expert, they will receive their next clue._

"I guess that's me." Andy remarked profusely. "'Use a mine cart to locate a marked section of the cave and break upon rocks until you locate a gemstone that you must bring back to get tagged before you receive your next clue.'"

"You can do it, man! Don't take too long!" King K. reminded.

"I won't!" Andy waved as his cart slowly took off, rolling into the cave.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 8th (Chucklehuck Woods, Winkle Colosseum)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Statistically, it's an unbelievable hood that we made finals of the fish league.)" Smorga said.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Rematch trash can with cards to take it all!)" Smorgo laughed.

"…You not use mirror, but you beat 29 Chuckoroks?" The Winkle asked in disbelief. "I not want know your secret…here clue. OOF!"

Crashing into the Winkle for absolutely no reason, Smorgo managed to brush off quite a few leaves and dirt before rolling away and out into Chucklehuck Woods with his/her/its partner.

"Crazy kids…"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

"Redo that corner of the net…it won't come loose if it's triggered." The Chuck Guy pointed at a corner of the net with his spear.

"You've got to be KIDDING…" Beldam pulled at her hat in frustration.

"I'm sure that the ugly native doesn't appreciate being called a kid when he is clearly an ugly, wrinkly baby." Queen babbled.

The Chuck Guy tried to give Queen a death glare, but it didn't work because no one could see his face through his mask.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 2nd (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Roadblock. 'Which one of you is the gem of your team?'" Toadsworth read. "Well, that's my Zessy-wootsums!"

"Oh, Toadsworth…" Zess giggled, taking the Roadblock card. "Alright…I guess I'll do—SWINGING A PICKAX?! …My back hurts already."

Sighing, Zess T. reluctantly took a mine cart and sat with her hands folded in her lap as it started rolling down the rails.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 3rd (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"I think I'll do this one." Waitress declared. "Wish me luck, Shimi!"

"I shush you lots of good frill and stealth!" Shimi beamed.

"…Um…okay." Waitress leapt into a cart and waved as it started to move into the cave.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in Last (Chucklehuck Woods, Trap Work Station)**

Shortly after getting approval, Beldam picked up a Pestnut, ignored the pain in her hands from the bristles, and threw it at the net, causing it to get entangled.

"…I guess that's one way to do it…" The Chuck Guy backed up against a tree as an angry Beldam held out her hand.

"…Clue. NOW." Beldam ordered.

"You better listen to this peasant, or else you'll get your sticks snapped and your mask marauded!" Queen chirped, teasing the Pestnut by making faces at it.

"…HERE! TAKE IT! LEAVE ME BE!"

As the Chuck Guy ran away from the clearing, screaming all the while, Beldam opened the envelope.

"…Yoshi Theater…okay, we're not out of this yet! Come on, Queen!" Beldam commanded.

"NO ONE COMMANDS THE GREAT SHADOW QUEEN!"

"…Oh, come off it already! COME ON!"

-----

**Andy (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

Upon arriving at the marked cave section, Andy made his way out of his cart with the pickax. Other than a supervising Troopea wearing a miner's helmet, he was the only other one in the room.

"You might wanna put this on, young feller…" The Troopea motioned towards a table with several sets of protective goggles. Andy complied, and put a set over his eyes before positioning himself in front of a boulder.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 4th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"That sounds like a girly task, but since we're in a cave, I doubt anything like that…probably something about a rock." Flare said, making an uncharacteristically usable deduction.

"In that case, I'll do it…" Hamma said, noticing the pickax in the mine carts. "Seems like I'll be swingin' em to the pit stop!"

"You better not take too long, bro."

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 5th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Great…a Roadblock…" Wife muttered.

"It's your turn…" Husband replied in a singsong voice. "Come on, babe…it can't be too hard…and you can net us our FIRST win!"

"Right…well, fine." Wife willingly hopped into a cart. "The things I do for victory…"

-----

**To & Too/Pungry & Pungent- Currently in 6th & 7th (Yoshi Theater, Lobby)**

Ignoring each other as they passed by, the two teams quickly went on with their business.

"Okay, we need to find the Mysterious Mine Carts Cavern now…" To said. "Where is that?"

"Found it!" Too exclaimed, pointing to it on a map as she got back into the marked car.

"Yay! Great job, sis!" To cheered, and put the car in reverse as she backed out of the cove.

"Thank you, sir." Pungry said gratefully to Boddle as he received the clue envelope.

"Quick, Pungry! We can follow those girls if we're quick!" Pungent ushered his partner out of the theater and back to the vehicle.

-----

**Andy/Zess/Waitress (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"Ooh…my aching back…" Zess muttered, swinging the pickax into a rock. She managed to chip it again, but not much else happened.

"This isn't so bad…" Waitress said to herself, swinging the pickax with relatively little effort.

"How the heck is she doing that?" Andy asked quizzically, watching between his own swings as Waitress cracked apart her second rock.

"Since I'm a…erm, Waitress…on the Excess Express, I usually have to carry and lift heavy stuff…Shimi enjoys making courses with a lot of decorations and spaz…it usually weighs a lot, so I have to be prepared." Waitress explained. (After-Leg Interview)

At that moment, the cart of Hamma appeared on the scene.

"This shouldn't be too hard…" Hamma said, picking up the pickax and a pair of goggles. Getting to work on the closest rock, he made a few hard swings before the top of the rock crumbled.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 8th (Yoshi Theater, Lobby)**

"MY CAPE! BACK, YOU FOUL THINGS! BACK!"

"GROSS! DID YOU SEE WHAT COLOR THEIR BODIES WERE?! THAT AIN'T RIGHT, I TELL YA!"

"YOSHI YOSHI YOSHI!"

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I'm a shining armor plate of romantic pencils and posterboard!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Terrorism isn't the way to cope with your lack of knowledge.)" Smorga stated.

The two Smorg rolled out of the Yoshi Theater, which was erupting with screams of terror and fright. They then proceeded to splatter mud and dirt around on the polished tiles of the theater grounds.

"STOP THAT, YOU EVIL DISCS OF EVILNESS!" Boddle yelled, rushing out to protect his beloved property.

-----

**Andy/Zess/Waitress/Hamma/Wife (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"The things I do for money…" Wife murmured. "How is it that all of our partners convinced us women to do this?"

"I have no idea." Zess replied.

"I did it on my own accord…" Waitress said, wiping her forehead. "Man…it's so cool down here, but it feels so humid because of all this sweat!"

On the opposite side of the area, Andy and Hamma were swinging away at their boulders. Hamma, however, was faring much better because of his natural talent in wielding hammer-like objects and of course, his pure muscle.

"No sweat…just need to find one of those stupid gemstones…" Hamma remarked.

"It figures we'd get an equalizer like this in the middle of the leg…great…" Andy sighed, tiredly making another swing with his pickax. "…Not…fair…"

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 6th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Roadblock. 'Who is the gem of their team?'" To read. "That's me!"

"Well, alright…" Too shrugged. She went over to join the other anxious team members who were waiting for their respective partners as her sister left via mine cart.

"What could be taking so long…" Husband muttered.

"The cavern they're going to must be quite far in, wot?" said Toadsworth.

"Yeah…sure…" Flare said, smirking.

**Hamma- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"YES!" Hamma roared, picking up a decent-sized gemstone from the rock he'd been mining. "See ya, suckers!"

The other four looked up as the Hammer Brother left the scene in his mine cart.

"Figures that he'd be the first one out…that's just so ironic." Wife rolled her eyes.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 7th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"'Who is the gem of their team?'" Pungry read. "I guess that's me."

"I disagree on that, but whatever…as long as you get us out of here quickly, bud!" Pungent ushered his partner into a mine cart.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in Last (Yoshi Theater, Entrance)**

"This is messed up…it's like we're walking the path of filth on the way to elimination…" Beldam said, trying to ignore the fact that her shadows were touching the grime on the ground.

"Elimination? We're not going to be eliminated today, you fool!" Queen cackled. "Now, hurry…some cavern, pronto! …CAVERN?! EW! I don't wanna go to some Shadow Palace re-make! URGH!"

-----

**Andy- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"Oh, thank goodness…" Andy sighed, taking his gemstone into the cart with him.

"I don't get how the guys already found theirs…why is this so hard?" Zess questioned.

"No idea…" Waitress replied, changing to another rock.

**Wife- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"Great! I got one, girls! I'll be seeing you later—hope you can find some gems!" Wife waved as her cart took off.

As Wife's mine cart left, the cart of To parked, shortly followed by Pungry's.

"Is this hard?" To asked curiously, taking her spot at a rock.

"Kind of…" Waitress answered.

"Physically, yes. Mentally…well, I'll let you decide." Zess responded. "Oh, wait! Yes!"

**Zess- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

An ecstatic Zess hugged the gemstone she'd uncovered, and rushed back to her mine cart.

"Good luck, everyone!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 8th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

Rolling in, the Smorg completely ignored the clue box, but instead, both jumped into the mine cart. However, Smorgo ended up landing on top of the pickax, and reeled away, screeching.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Gorilla takes the five cards of checkmarks to the back of your husky!)" Smorga teased.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Geez, I hate you so much with your pipes!)" Smorgo growled, bumping into the post that held up the clue box, causing an envelope to fall on top of him/her/it.

**Pungry- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"What the…all right!" Pungry hooted, grabbing the gemstone he unearthed.

"You can't be serious…" Waitress' jaw dropped as the Puni rushed back to his mine cart. "That is such dumb luck!"

**Hamma & Flare (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Come on, bro…tag it and hurry up!" Flare urged.

"Hold your horses! I'm on it, already!" Hamma snapped back. He held his jewel up to a small booklet. "Looks like a Hoohoo Hardstone…"

The other waiting team members watched as Hamma picked up a tag on the table labeled with the respective name, and started trying to get the string to attach through a small hole in the gem.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in Last (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Great…Roadblock. 'Who is the gem of their team?'" Beldam read. "I guess I'll have to—"

"Oh, that's me! Beldam's too ugly to be beautiful…I, on the other hand, am perfect for this kind of task!"

"…Physical labor?" Beldam asked.

"Well, yes, I—ARE YOU CRAZY, WOMAN?!"

"Nope…you're doin' this." Beldam laughed, shoving the Roadblock card and Queen into a mine cart.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE, CREEP!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1st (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Heh, awesome!" Hamma exclaimed. "So…you need this?"

"No…take it with you." The old man replied, handing Hamma the clue.

"Come on, open it outside so we can leave and finish first again!" Flare exclaimed. "…Too bad we can't execute our plan right now…even though the prey is right there…"

Rushing outside while clutching the tagged gemstone, Hamma watched as Flare opened the envelope.

"…Not the pit stop? Man, they're killing us!" Flare remarked. "'Make your way to the Fashion Shop in Beanbean Castle Town and exchange the gem for the next clue."

_Teams must now drive themselves five miles to Beanbean Castle Town, the main central city of the Beanbean Kingdom, which was once destroyed from an attack by Bowser's own fortress. This grassy town, full of pillars and yellow brick buildings, is also home to the very first Starbeans Café and several cutting-edge stores, run by world-famous item and fashion experts. Here, at the Fashion Shop, teams will need to exchange their tagged gem for the next clue._

"Man…okay, so now we need to head into town…great." Hamma sighed.

**To- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"Waitress, don't give up, girl! You can find it!" To encouraged as her mine cart left the scene.

"Yeah, right…" Waitress sniffed. "I'm so tired…why can't I find it?"

At that unfortunate moment, none other than Smorga came rolling in.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Pirate treasure parrot bandana consequence circumstance and shipwreck!)" Smorga called out.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 2nd (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"'Make your way to the Fashion Shop in Beanbean Castle Town and exchange the gem for the next clue.'" Andy hurriedly read. "We gotta go!"

As the friends made their way back into their marked car, King gave his partner a slap on the back.

"Made pretty good time, dawg…just plumb dumb luck the bros got our primer." King K. remarked.

**Waitress/Smorga/Queen (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Lemons pie into hyperactive soda juice!)" Smorga said, ramming into a rock while the pickaxe was stuck in his/her/its body. The rock cracked a little.

"That is so pathetic…what kind of weird creature would do something like that?" Queen rolled her eyes.

**Smorgo (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Lemons pie into hyperactive soda juice!)" Smorgo said, ramming into a rock while a pickaxe from an already-finished team was stuck in his/her/its body. The rock cracked a little.

"I'll never understand why Smorg are so weird…" Beldam muttered.

"'Cuz they're freaky, that's why!" Pungent replied brightly.

"Was I talking to you?" Beldam snapped.

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 3rd (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"The Fashion Shop…okay!" Wife handed the clue to her spouse.

"Hold up, babe!" Husband held Wife's arm, and they started walking to their marked car.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 4th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Beanbean Castle Town…capital! I'm familiar with the area." Toadsworth said, pleased.

"That's good; then, we won't waste time having to search." Zess remarked. "Oh, they've waited for us! Quick!"

**Smorga- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Confident underwear to take crying nose in support hose printer.)" said Smorga, rolling over a gemstone and bumping into the mine cart.

"Even that thing found a gemstone already?" Waitress asked shakily. "Oh my gosh…I just don't get why I can't find one…"  
"Think what you want…playing the opposite game doesn't mean you'll be able to find it." Queen said sassily, swinging her pickax at a rock. Waitress ignored her.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 5th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Not last anymore! Awesome!" Pungent exclaimed. "Where we goin'?"

"We need to go to the Fashion Shop in Beanbean Castle Town." Pungry informed.

"Sweet; we got a chance at makin' it to the top if we hurry!" Pungent said.

**Queen- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"Finally, I found this elusive jewel…that took a bit too long for my liking…OH, I EVEN CHIPPED A NAIL!" Queen screeched. "Beldam's going to pay for this…that scrooge!"

The Shadow Queen got into her mine cart and left.

**Waitress- Gemstone Located (Mysterious Mine, Deep Cavern)**

"I can't believe this…I was one of the first here, and I'm the last to leave…" Waitress rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm.

Hopping into the last mine cart, Waitress set the gemstone beside her. Trying to retain her composure as the cart started moving back towards the exit, she failed miserably as she started to break down.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 6th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"There we go…" To finished tagging the gemstone and showed it to the old bean.

"Very good…here."

"Thank you!" To handed the envelope to Too as they walked back out into the sunlight.

"We need to go to the Fashion Shop in Beanbean Castle Town…let's go!" Too remarked.

The female Toads jumped into their marked car and drove off.

-----

Beanbean Castle Town, a quiet, harmonious village divided in half by a tranquil, running river, still had the scars and marks left from the violent attack of bills, bombs, and various other dangerous objects that had occurred in its past. However, a sense of calmness had returned to the city—many marks and divots had been replaced ever since the assault, and all of the buildings had once again been reopened.

Two marked cars sped through the streets, en route to the fashion shop. They both parked directly in front of it, and two teams leapt out.

**Hamma & Flare/Andy & King- Currently in 1st (Beanbean Town Fashion Shop)**

"Clue! Now!"

Making a mighty leap, the brothers managed to move in front of the homeboys at the counter. Hamma presented their gemstone, which was accepted by the cashier, who handed over a clue envelope.

"Alright…" Flare opened the clue. "'Make your way to the next possible pit stop at Beanbean Castle—'"

"'—located somewhere on the grounds.'" King continued.

_Teams must now make their way to the north part of town, where Beanbean castle is located. This remarkable work, the former and current home of the Beanstar, glows with different shades of teal, green, and azure, and contains the town's history in its royal library. The courtyard in the northeastern part of the palace is the next possible pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here may be eliminated._

"'The last team to check in may be eliminated.'" Flare and King finished at the same time.

"Come on, King! We can beat 'em there!" Andy yelled.

"Whatever! Hurry up, bro, or else you'll be seein' stars at the pit stop!" Hamma commanded.

The two teams hopped into their marked cars to drive the short distance to the palace.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 7th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ribbit ribbit, twinkle car! Helicopter pop then tar!)" Smorga said, rolling into the exit room. He/she/it then got a tag stuck to the gemstone somehow before tackling the old man's chair.

"HEY! Watch it!"

"What could be taking them so long…" Beldam grimaced. "Looks like we're racing just to stay out of last…again…"

Chef Shimi looked worriedly at the set of seven other mine carts that had been accounted for on the edge of the rails.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 8th (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

"Troublesome, troublesome…" Queen muttered, shoving the gem in front of the face of the old bean. He whispered something under his breath before handing over the next clue.

"Queen, don't do that to him!" Beldam rebuked.

"Shut up! You're paying for my manicure at the next pit stop…" Queen said warningly as they left the cave.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in Last (Mysterious Mine Carts Exit)**

As her mine cart came slowly rolling in, Waitress picked up the gemstone. She got up and walked over to the table, her face hidden from view.

"Waitress, come on! We haven't rotten all stays!" Shimi reminded. "What took you so gong—er, long?! Every single steam passed us, and—"

"Please, Shimi! Just shut up and let me do it my way! You're not helping me!" Waitress screamed through tears. She glared at her partner before setting to the simple task of tagging the jewel. After having done so, she brought it to the man, who gave her the clue.

"…" Slightly startled, Shimi flopped after his partner as they headed outside.

-----

**Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth- Currently in 3rd (Beanbean Town Fashion Shop)**

"The next possible pit stop is at the castle grounds!" Toadsworth remarked upon reading the clue.

"Where at?" Zess asked.

"It doesn't say." Wife responded.

"Well, great…how're we supposed to find it, then?" Husband rolled his eyes.

"It's most likely either at the throne room, entrance, or the courtyard! I remember where each one is—come on!" Toadsworth instructed.

-----

Partially hidden from view by the pillars in front of the courtyard and the surrounding shrubs, Miles and the Beanbean royal family waited patiently behind the pit stop mat, which had been laid out in front of the square's largest rectangular-shaped hedge, neatly trimmed and covered with small light bulbs.

Queen Bean, Lady Lima, and Prince Peasley listened as Miles motioned towards the hall that led towards the library; the sound of trampling feet could be heard, as well as the agitated yells of several centurions. A few more seconds passed before…

"Hey, there it is! Come on!"

"Crap; they found it! Hurry up!"

**Hamma & Flare/Andy & King (Beanbean Castle Courtyard)**

It was a narrow footrace to the mat as the two teams emerged into the sunlight of the square! All four guys made a giant leap for the mat and…

"Welcome to Beanbean Castle Town." Queen Bean said heartily. Prince Peasley just smiled, causing his teeth to reflect the sun's light into Lady Lima's eyes; she shrieked and told him to keep his mouth shut.

"Uh…thanks."

"…Well…this is an interesting scenario," Miles began. "Andy and King…Hamma and Flare. Looks like you two are tied for team number one."

**KEEP READING!!**

Miles held out two clue envelopes to the surprised teams.

"…Wait…is this some kind of sick joke? Why are you giving us a clue envelope?" Flare queried.

"Yeah…you just checked us in…" Andy trailed off.

"Sorry, guys…but…as you can see, this leg of the race…it isn't over."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

-----

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_Several teams find themselves hopelessly lost aboard their motorboats in the Oho Ocean._

"We just left land, and now we're already lost…how the heck does that happen?"

"I think I know what being a blind sea creature feels like."

"LOOK OUT FOR THAT WHIRLPOOL!"

_Husband and Wife find themselves left in the cold._

"Babe, can't you keep them from hitting me?!" Wife complained. "I can't keep spilling so much of this!"

"Well, soooorry! There's more of them than there are me!" Husband retorted.

_And one team struggles to make up time by completing the Fast Forward._

"This is disgusting! I can't do this…"

_Stay tuned…_

-----

Author's Note: Ooh…the double-length leg is number five…didn't expect it, did you? Or did the overbearingly large amount of space left on your scroll bar lead you on to what I was trying to do? Oh well…anyways, below, you'll find the potential cast of TTYD3 and TTYD4…24 of these teams will get to compete for one million Smash coins. I still feel it's a bit early to be working on the new cast already, but whatever…better now than rushing it in the final chapters, right?

Basically, what I'm going to ask for (if you want to) is a review/e-mail/private message containing the 24 teams you want to be on the next 2 seasons. That's right, 24 for both…there won't be a ballot if I ever get to TTYD3. However, you'll need to list the sets separately…list the ones you want in priority for TTYD3 and then say which ones you want for TTYD4. If you don't do that, I'll have to assume that it's the first 12 and last 12 respectively, if you forget to include that. Included with each team is a little description that could help to introduce you to them…

-----

**Coed**

- Lahla & Rocko: A team with varying strengths and personalities from both ends of the spectrum, Lahla and Rocko are the receptionist and guard of the Pianta Parlor, respectively. These co-workers are fueled by their drive for adventure, exploration, and the opportunity to experience new things, and hope to be able to see some sights on The Amazing Race. Physically fit, able, and strong-willed, Lahla and Rocko acknowledge their leg up on the competition by having relations to former racers Peeka, Don, and Fransesca.

- Laki & Romana: Unsure if love is possible across species, Laki and Romana prefer to refer to themselves as best friends as well as train enthusiasts. Both share several traits, including their excitability and rashness, exhibited by Laki's attempts to stow away on the Excess Express, and Romana's dreams about taking part in a romantic farewell aboard a train platform. Although the prize money is definitely a pushing factor in their reasons for auditioning for the race, both can honestly admit that they're ready to also push their relationship to the next level.

- Cassara & Nouvel: Never having argued over their lack of family time together, married couple Cassara and Nouvel don't plan on doing so with their debut on The Amazing Race. They want to be able to look at the trip as a fast-paced vacation rather than a heated competition. Cassara, the woman of the house, usually spends her time and money playing games at the Pianta Parlour, while Nouvel is a troubled writer that doubles as a stay-at-home father. Nevertheless, both see the opportunity and promise in the race to repair whatever tears that there may be in their relationship.

- Pierre & Rana: Spending time in stressful and dangerous situations is nothing new for dating Squeeks Pierre and Rana. Although their time together is extremely limited, their love has grown stronger as a result of being apart—Pierre, Rana's former archaeology partner, works as an undercover agent, trying to uncover the devious plots of Ishnail. Their related career paths have shaped them into being focused, stubborn, and physically fit—reasons they say propel them to being successful on The Amazing Race.

- Gloomtail & Hooktail: Being physically small hasn't belittled the personalities of siblings Gloomtail and Hooktail. After being separated for over a thousand years, the two see the race as the perfect opportunity to re-bond and see how the other has changed. These two quadrupeds confess to being proud of their dishonesty and trickery, and plan on doing whatever it takes to win. They both know that their physical strength and rough tendencies make them a potentially tough force to be reckoned with.

- Puni Elder & Puniper: There isn't very much respect between the Puni Elder and Puniper; arguing with each other is often the only interaction they have, and it usually ends up in the favor of the elderly. Because of their leadership abilities, they both acknowledge that their inclination to butt heads could be a hard obstacle to overcome—however, they agree that with the right combination of teamwork and cooperation, anything is possible…even between them.

- Phoebe & Justin: Building up trust has been the key to the relationship between best friends Pheobe and Justin, as their personalities contrast in many different areas. Although they both make their home in Glitzville, Phoebe has always been scared of heights—a phobia she would like to conquer once and for all on the race. Justin, the more comical of the duo, has a greater sense of humor, but also a gentler side that can be used to keep his partner in check. Both want to be able to travel around the world, something that their studies limit them from doing.

- Will & Sharon: Engaged couple Will and Sharon feel that their love power and spirit can only be magnified by being on the race. After gathering up the courage to admit her crush on Will, Sharon was more than relieved to hear that the feeling was mutual. They say that they are capable of doing anything they put their mind to, and feel that their sporty hobbies can aide them in making it through the race around the world. After all is said and done, the two want to settle down in Glitzville so that Will can continue his job as a greeter at the Glitz Pit.

- Eve & Podley: Former actors with a possible romantic interest in each other, Eve and Podley are quite an interesting duo. Regarding her relationship with Podley, Eve always makes a big deal about how she was the first to make a move; even though she was initially turned down, she managed to strike up their bond as friends. She wants to be able to win the money so she can support herself and her three young children without fear of becoming broke, while he wishes to purchase a residence in Western Rogueport.

**Male**

- Blooey & Jerry: While their personalities are polar opposites, Blooey and Jerry admit that if they were able to simultaneously survive being under the wing of Luigi, there is some kind of a force holding them together—one is compulsive with a short temper, the other is composed and cool under stress. Although they both have traveling experience in the Waffle Kingdom, they agree that it isn't the kind of frequent flying that they'd like to do, as they're confident that what they're looking for can be found on the race.

- Plenn & Thriff: Having two shops in different locations caused brothers Plenn and Thriff to miss each other's company terribly, so they want to use The Amazing Race as an opportunity to rekindle their brotherly flame. Both men are smart, streetwise, and economically set; they feel that their shrewd use of money can be very efficient as an advantage. Neither can recall an occasion in which they fought as a result of sibling rivalry, so both can say that their cooperation is strong and something to be feared.

- Grodus & Crump: With several years of robotics studies behind him, Crump was able to improve Grodus' way of life drastically after the latter's loss of his original body. Even though Sir Grodus' physical limitations will be an impending hindrance on The Amazing Race, the combined determination and competence of these two is more than enough to make up for any sort of difficulties that they could possibly encounter. Although they both had criminal backgrounds in the world-takeover category, both concur that their sights are set in a new direction towards a better life for themselves.

- Swindell & Arfur: Motivated by the chance to race around the world, best friends Swindell and Arfur hope to display that they've turned over a new leaf. Being former thieves, both have changed for the better—they've agreed that their newest goal is to open a shop rather than hit up others for the money. Both team members confess to being overly dependent on others, but make up for it with their wit and intelligence.

- Frankie & Ishnail: Although the mentioning of his father is a relatively risky subject, Frankie is relatively good friends with Ishnail, leader of the Robbos gang, an opposing syndicate in Rogueport. Because of their controversial relationship and yin-yang personalities, the two feel that their support for each other and varying strengths is surprising, and can be the key to landing one million Smash coins. Furthermore, they both feel that their friendship can last, and could just possibly be the piece missing that could result in the turning-around of Rogueport once and for all.

- Vinny & Tony: Being bodyguards keeps brothers Vinny and Tony physically fit and forces them to be easily adaptable to any situation. However, the one situation neither one has yet adapted to is the recently distraught relationship between them; Tony has accepted the possibility that he might be gay. In spite of this somewhat startling revelation, Vinny thinks that he and his brother can manage whatever is thrown at them on the race. They hope to prove to each other and to themselves that they can accomplish much as a team.

- Garf & Gus: Elite members of the Robbos organization, Garf and Gus have a unique brotherly enmity that keeps them emotionally distant. While Garf is supposedly less of a jerk of the two, as he pays the house bills, Gus says that the money he demands from toll fees are sent towards a good cause. Both are motivated by the money that the race offers, and take it that their physical strength and skills in hunting down information can be the key to winning it all.

- Dour & Kroop: Just because they're old doesn't mean that they can't give their lives one last burst of excitement—senior citizens Dour and Kroop feel that although they may not be bodily on par with the other teams, they can make up for it with their resourcefulness and ability to win over the respect of others. The two have known each other for over a decade, and plan on being able to take another adventure trip after mayor Dour steps down from office, as Kroop is already retired.

- Herb & Wonky: Their moodiness may prove to be a bad thing, but Herb and Wonky's traveling experience could be the key to their success. Although both have lived underground for several years and feel that coming to the surface so suddenly for a competition may be a big step, they claim that anything can be accomplished when done right. Knowledgeable and bright, these two aren't afraid to look everywhere for answers in the case of getting stuck in a bad situation on the race.

- Kojo & Kory: Lifelong friends Kojo and Kory have seen it all as a duo, as they met back in a daycare center when they were both young Koopas. Both hope to overcome their phobias to better themselves for the sake of their hometown, Petalburg, in the case of another dire emergency. The two men are headstrong and cocky, and have quite a bit of intelligence on their side. They claim that although they tend to chicken out in the face of adversity, they won't back down from the adventure the race promises to bring.

- Poddler & Hoggle: The proud owners of two very successful businesses in Glitzville, Poddler and Hoggle feel that they have a good shot at winning the race with their various talents. Economically smart and skilled in communication, the two share interests in food and favorite combatants. While Poddler has picked up on a few strength tidbits and hints from watching the fights in the Glitz Pit, Hoggle is clueless when it comes to being physically fit. Even so, the two think that they have what it takes to come out on top.

- Vincent & Rook: Familiar with the media, reporters Vincent and Rook know what the people like in competitors and what to aim for action-wise by being on the race. Although veteran Vincent has been in the business longer than newbie Rook, the two have had a friendship that dates back several years. Confident in all types of situations and easily adaptable, these two journalists are stimulated by the chance to travel around the world, something that doesn't come around very often to the pair, who are stationed 24/7 in Glitzville.

- Crash & Cleftor: Minor leaguers Crash and Cleftor know what hard work and determination look like—they show it every day in the Glitz Pit. Although they have yet to make it up to the major leagues, their friendship is as rock solid as Cleftor's rock-hard body. The two define their most outstanding traits as their logic and patience; they are able to work together considerably well, and feel that it's possible to overcome their slow speed disadvantage with their own strength of mind and resolve to win.

- Koopinator & Shellshock: In spite of the extreme social differences between the Koopinator and Shellshock, the two have struck up a very strong friendship. They have contrasting personalities; Koopinator dedicates his time to becoming better and works alone, while Shellshock is known as the life of the party and at times, can be very laid back and relaxed. Even though they're different in so many ways, these battle strategists know they have what it takes to go far in the race, and think they can win it all.

- Dupree & Goom Goom: Although their relationship is nothing more than a similarity in dating statuses, Dupree and Goom Goom feel they have what it takes to win over the hearts of girls as well as the one million, even without a completely sturdy bond. The two bring different strengths to the team—Dupree is fluent in several languages, and Goom Goom is intelligent and courageous. Both hope to find a lady that can understand their love and compassion while competing on The Amazing Race.

- Bob & Larry: Although General Larry White was initially an outsider, he eventually became accepted as an important member of the town that Mayor Bob presided over. They both have a knack for racking up mileage in efficient travel, and are known to move quickly and stealthily. Both have served time fighting in the armed forces, and have amazing willpower, as well as an understanding of Bob-omb lore. Although the money is a nice object to look forward to, the duo instead just want to aim for traveling to get away from the coldness of their usual lives.

- Swob & Fred: Best friends Swob and Fred admit that their main motivation for being on the race is to win the money, but also agree that getting away from the snowy landscape could do them both some good. Always ready to speak his mind, Swob is the type of guy who gets what he wants. Fred, on the other hand, says that there aren't any quirks about him—however, his useful skills include fluency in Bomb-speak and effective communication proficiencies.

- Rob & Nob: With polar opposite personalities and unique backgrounds to boot, Rob and Nob aren't your ordinary couple. These two Bob-ombs are best friends and ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. While Rob is a gentleman that dislikes his exploding talents, Nob is a tough, rowdy guy that isn't afraid to take a little dirt and rub it in. The two are great contributors to their hometown, and wish to travel to exotic places. They feel that even though they are so different, their magnetism is what attracted them to become friends.

**Female**

- Theata & Hannah: Friends living in Rogueport with a love for movies, drama, and romance, Theata and Hannah both hope to make it far in the race. If they do happen to win the money, both say that they'd like to get started on an acting career to follow in the footsteps of their many idols. While Theata feels very strongly about her emotions and mood, and tends to get a little nervous when faced with a challenge, Hannah is caring and kind and hopes to step out from under the wing of familiarity. These two Toads feel they have the prowess to win.

- Toce & Koopie Koo: Looking up to the standards of their friends, Toce and Koopie Koo want to show the world what girl power is all about—they aren't afraid of being criticized for their own girly ways. Kind and compassionate, Toce sees herself as an individual in a world of other individuals, and will treat others in the race that way. Koopie Koo wants to prove to herself that she is worthy of being a strong girlfriend by making it far. Although she can be a bit worrisome at times, she has a unique coolness that might be useful to rely on.

- Hope & Delia: Hardworking contributors to the town where the sun never rises, mothers Hope and Delia think that their intellectual and mental strengths can give them the edge they need to win The Amazing Race. While Hope tends to be slightly snobbish and jokingly flirtatious at times, Delia is an over-achiever who is loving, unselfish, and trendy. These two women also add that many of their fellow citizens consider one of them to be worthy of the spot as mayor—winning could only improve their chances in the next election.

- Mary & Prissy: Used to the high-class atmosphere of Poshley Heights, business workers Mary and Prissy feel that they need the opportunity to get some fresh air by being on an adventure trip. The two claim that their combined fortes include their creativity, outside-the-box thinking, and good memories. While Mary, receptionist for the Poshley Heights hotel, is calm and collected, Prissy, the Fresh Pasta stand clerk, is a firm believer in being quick at everything she does.

- Norma & Ingrid: The epitomes of Fahr Outpost bob-ombs, Norma and Ingrid are two hard-working women that run the shop and inn of their town, respectively. Norma says that she is more impatient than her partner, but has more people experience that comes from being a shop owner. Ingrid, on the other hand, is empathetic yet quite competitive. The two ladies would love to visit a tropical paradise, which would be a nice change from the harsh environment that their world is usually in.

-----

Quite a diverse cast if I do say so myself…but I had to come up with a few too many names and personalities than I would've liked… Anyways, please do inform me what you'd like for seasons 3 and 4 if you want to see those stories…I'd really appreciate it.

And this chapter and ballot is your season's gift from me! Happy holidays, everyone!


	7. Leg 5 Cont: Difficulty Sprouts!

-----

Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

"Scramble your next doodle, get a fight there, and then locust your next clue in marked stars outside of the air dart."

_Nine teams of two left the city of Heftibulk in Giant Land, which had been the fourth resting point in the race around the world._

_Best friends Pungry and Pungent almost found themselves out of the running when they couldn't figure out where their next destination was._

"Great…those three snotty allied guys wouldn't spill anythin'!" Pungent complained. "Didn't think I could feel any smaller, tryin' to beg for information…"

_Managing to find out where they were headed, the Punis joined the other teams on one of the two flights to the Beanbean Kingdom, but at a cost._

"Are you serious? You'll tell us?" Pungry asked hopefully.

"Sure…why not? We scratch your back…you scratch ours, though." Flare warned.

_Seeing an opportunity to push themselves forward, To and Too decided to perform and complete the Hazard._

"We need to choose carefully to make sure that this wasn't wasted…I just hope we can catch up in time." To murmured.

_At the Detour, the Shadow Queen wasted her team's time and effort by accidentally falling into her own trap._

"BELDAM, YOU IDIOT! WHY'D YOU MOVE THE TRAP AND MAKE IT HARD FOR ME TO SEE IT?!" Queen shrieked.

_And at the Roadblock, Waitress couldn't keep up with the others._

"I can't believe this…I was one of the first here, and I'm the last to leave…" Waitress rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm.

_In a wild race to the pit stop, the homeboys and brothers fought hard to come out on top…_

It was a narrow footrace to the mat as the two teams emerged into the sunlight of the square! All four guys made a giant leap for the mat and…

"Welcome to Beanbean Castle Town." Queen Bean said heartily. Prince Peasley just smiled, causing his teeth to reflect the sun's light into Lady Lima's eyes; she shrieked and told him to keep his mouth shut.

"Uh…thanks."

"…Well…this is an interesting scenario," Miles began. "Andy and King…Hamma and Flare. Looks like you two are tied for team number one."

Miles held out two clue envelopes to the surprised teams.

"…Wait…is this some kind of sick joke? Why are you giving us a clue envelope?" Flare queried.

"Yeah…you just checked us in…" Andy trailed off.

"Sorry, guys…but…as you can see, this leg of the race…it isn't over."

Glitzville Teams First, But It Isn't Over

_Nine teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

…

"…It isn't over?" Hamma repeated. "Okay, this ain't cool…"

The group of guys looked at each other before reluctantly taking the clue envelopes out of Miles' outstretched hand.

"Um…okay…" King K. tore off the strip and pulled out some Route Info. "'Drive yourselves to the Woohoo Hooniversity and locate the Sun Door inside for your next clue.'"

_Teams must now drive themselves approximately 3 miles to this place: Woohoo Hooniversity. This famous, world-renowned school of prestige, is specialized in several studies, including block technology, medicine, laser tech, retractable objects, robotics, and electricity. Teams will have to search the school campus for the Sun Door, a mysterious lock formerly guarded by a color code that opens a shutter in the school through the usage of sunlight. It is here that teams will find their next clue._

"Hours of operation of the school are 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M." Flare concluded. "That sucks! It's already past 9!"

"…Great. An equalizer just made us lose our lead." Andy groaned. "Looks like it's time to hit the sack and drive over to the school tomorrow morning…"

"Right…"

"Of all the things we were expecting to see when we arrived at the castle, we definitely weren't expecting something like this leg being extended. I mean, just hearing that the leg wasn't over…it tore our minds. Reason being? Well, we had first ripped away from us like…that." Hamma remarked, snapping his fingers. "That sucks."

Not saying a word to the opposing team, the two pairs of Glitzville fighters unwillingly made their way out of the courtyard and headed out of the castle.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Beanbean Town)**

"Don't think we were supposed to go over the river…ain't seein' this Fashion Shop nowhere!" Pungent said, scanning the streets as the marked car slowly moved along.

"Hold on, there's actually someone out right now! Let me ask for directions." Pungry ordered, seeing a nearby citizen outside. "Hey, ma'am? Could you tell us where the Fashion Shop is?"

"Oh, it's on the western side of town. There's a sign above the door with a picture of a pair of overalls on it…might miss it because it's so dark, though…um…well, it should be the first building you see after you go back over the bridge."

"Awesome. Thank you very much!" Pungry shouted. "You heard her, Pungent…we have to go back the way we came."

"Righty-o." Pungent sighed as he maneuvered the car to make a u-turn.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 5th (Beanbean Fashion Shop)**

Hurrying in through the door, the girls paused to take a look at a glimmering yellow dress that was on display before heading up to the counter, where To handed over the gemstone she'd found back at the Mysterious Mine.

"Thank you, ma'am!" To said cheerfully, accepting the clue envelope. "Make your way to the next possible pit stop at Beanbean Castle, located somewhere on the grounds."

"Somewhere on the grounds?" Too repeated. "Well, okay."

After stopping momentarily once more to look at the colorful array of clothes, the Toads went back outside to their vehicle.

**Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth (Beanbean Castle Courtyard)**

Walking briskly through the courtyard lit with small lanterns, the two couples excitedly jumped onto the pit stop mat.

"Welcome to Beanbean Castle Town!" Queen Bean exclaimed. "…Toadsworth! Oh my!"

"Toadsworth, it's really you! Oh, how amazing!" Lady Lima squealed, and ran up to her friend before hugging him tightly.

"Erm…good to see you too, Lady Lima…" Toadsworth grinned nervously as he returned the gesture of affection. Zess just stared at the action in shock, her mouth agape.

Detecting the possibility of a scene occurring, Miles quickly cut in.

"Husband and Wife, Zess and Toadsworth. You are the third and fourth teams to arrive."

"Well, that's nice…" Wife murmured.

"Yeah…but why do I get the feeling that something's amiss?" Husband crossed his arms and looked at the Yoshi expectantly.

"Apparently, you're a psychic…because this leg of the race isn't over." Miles said, producing two clue envelopes. "Keep on racing."

"What? It ain't yet over?" Wife gawked. "Oh, you're kidding…"

"At least we can aim higher, right? Here's another opportunity to get first!" Husband pointed out, taking an envelope and handing the other to Zess, who clumsily dropped it.

"Where are we going, Zess?" Toadsworth asked as he let go of Lady Lima.

"Um…" Zess opened the cover and took out the Route Info. "…We're going to Woohoo Hooniversity…but it isn't open until tomorrow morning at 10:00."

"It doesn't? Oh, that's a pity." Toadsworth stated.

"Toadsworth, I have a grand idea! Why not you and your friends stay here for the night—it's better than the other accommodations in town." Lady Lima suggested.

"Why, that would be lovely, my lady…let me just retrieve my toiletries from our car…" Toadsworth said as he headed back out.

The group looked from the frozen Zess T. before turning to the completely oblivious Lady Lima. Husband and Wife looked at each other before Miles coughed lightly.

"I think we're in for some real drama…" Prince Peasley said, brushing his hair back with his gloved hand.

"…Uh-oh…" Miles muttered.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 6th (Beanbean Fashion Shop)**

"…located somewhere on the grounds." Pungry finished. "Alright…we're finally headed for the pit stop!"

"That's right! Another leg survived by the mighty Punis!" Pungent laughed.

"You said it!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Beanbean Town)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I swear, this mattress is impossible to bust into frivolity for mice!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Jolly good, wot wot?)" Smorga answered.

Swerving out of control, the marked car of the Smorg crashed into one of the pillars in the middle of eastern Beanbean town and stayed there, failing to break through the hard rock.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Take the high road for gassy coffee taffy! Real cheap, no money down and for free with fifty dollar shipping!)"

**To & Too: Sisters (Beanbean Castle Courtyard)**

"Hi, Miles!"

"What's up?"

Giggling, the two Toad sisters eagerly hopped onto the mat and waited for the news.

"Welcome to Beanbean Castle Town!" Queen Bean greeted.

"To and Too." Miles smirked. "You're the fifth team to arrive."

"Oh, wow! That's the same thing we got last time!" Too laughed.

"It's déjà vu all over again!" To added.

"Well…it would've been…" Miles interrupted. "You see…this leg of the race isn't over…so you have to keep on going."

"Really?" The sisters looked at each other, clearly surprised.

"Let's see…" To scanned the clue card, absorbing the information. "Woohoo Hooniversity has hours of operation?"

"To the public…it's a very prestigious school. Although there are night classes, visitors are only allowed in by guards during hours." Queen Bean explained.

"Oh, okay! We need to find a hotel, then," said Too.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Beanbean Town)**

"Great…it's so dark, I can't see a thing…even with the headlights at full blast…" Beldam lamented, irritated that she'd been going in circles for a while.

"Quit your griping! Can't you tell that I'm trying to do my make-up?! Drive smoother; you're going to mess me up!" Queen ordered.

At that moment, Beldam drove over the wooden bridge, causing the car to vibrate as it passed over.

"…YOU DESPICABLE BEAST! HOW DARE YOU DELIBERATELY MESS UP MY PERFECT FACE WITH YOUR LOUSY DRIVING!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 7th (Beanbean Fashion Shop)**

"Beanbean Castle…great…now we get to hear it." Waitress mumbled dejectedly.

"Waitress, just because we left last doesn't mean we're still in blast!" Shimi reasoned. "Drop the long case…don't be so discaught!"

"Oh, right…how could we not be in last?" Waitress queried, getting into the car.

"For one thing, the purple gurples are still here, and they're terrible at glowing what they feed to. And the Smorg couldn't turn a corner if they fried!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Beanbean Town)**

Although it was a very wide turn, Smorgo somehow managed to swerve the car around a corner before it flipped over and crashed into a building.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ten points!)"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Beanbean Fashion Shop)**

"All I'm saying is that we might not be avast! You just greed to gave heath!" Shimi concluded.

"…What did you say?"

Waitress started laughing.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Beanbean Castle Courtyard)**

"Welcome to Beanbean Castle Town!" Queen Bean addressed the Punis rather insultingly—she knelt down to greet them and spoke in a talk-to-baby tone.

"…"

"Pungry and Pungent." Miles nodded slowly. "You're the sixth team to arrive."

"Phew…that's good…" Pungry sighed. "Talk about nerve-wracking…"

"Eh, I knew we got it." Pungent shrugged.

"However…this leg of the race isn't over. Keep going, guys." Miles handed them another clue envelope.

"…Aww, yer kiddin'!" Pungent groaned, and halfheartedly opened the clue.

"Where are we going?" Pungry asked.

"Woohoo Hooniversity…it's already closed, bud…least we's got a chance to catch up tomorrow!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 8th (Beanbean Fashion Shop)**

"Pit stop…great…now I can finally get some rest from this stupid curse I'm stuck with." Beldam uttered.

"You mean your split ends? Yeah, you need it." Queen laughed. "Too bad there's no local hairdresser to fix you up."

"…You're one to talk…" Beldam muttered.

"Hah, yeah…I know I talk a lot, but it comes from my—HEY!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Beanbean Castle Courtyard)**

Although it was clear that she was very scared to hear the news, Waitress followed the Cheep-Cheep up to the mat.

"Welcome to Beanbean Castle Town." Queen Bean said heartily.

"Shimi and Waitress." Miles frowned, causing Waitress to hiccup. "You're the seventh team to arrive."

The Excess Express workers gawked before turning to each other.

"SEVENTH! Yeah!" Waitress screamed joyfully.

"See? Nothing to worry about!" Shimi reminded.

"Hold up with the celebrations, guys." Miles warned. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but this leg of the race isn't over. Keep going."

Clearly shocked to see another envelope, the surprised team grabbed and opened it.

"…Woohoo Hooniversity…hours of operation! Cool, we have another chance to boost our standings!" Waitress exclaimed.

"That's good, but we butter get some pinkeye so we grave the energy for the marrow." Shimi cautioned. Upon hearing this jumbled comment, the others wisely chose to ignore him.

"I consider myself somewhat happy-go-lucky, but my own moodiness can cause swings of emotion from time to time." Waitress explained. "One minute, I can be weeping like a waterfall, the next, I could be laughing until I'm crying again! The thing is, it's easy to recover quickly…but it's even easier when I have such a great partner. I don't always understand what he says, but I always know he's trying to reassure me…that by itself is already consoling enough."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Beanbean Castle Courtyard)**

"This place is so disgusting! Hedge decorations are so out of style! And these tiles are absolutely old-age…and those lights! UGH!"

Queen Bean narrowed her eyes and gave a light 'hmph!' as she turned away from the Shadow Queen, who continued on babbling about each and every item in the courtyard.

"Beldam and…um…I'm guessing she won't hear me or won't even care, will she?" Miles inquired.

"Most likely not…she's even more of an IDIOT than those Smorg." Beldam paused. "See? She didn't even hear me call her an idiot! Normally, she'd be screaming some sort of obscenity right now…"

"…Okay…" Miles trailed off, wide-eyed. "Anyway…uh, you're the eighth team to arrive."

"…Something tells me that you're leaving something out." Beldam groaned.

"Yeah. This leg of the race isn't over…so keep on racing, I guess." Miles handed the Shadow Siren another clue envelope.

"You've got to be kidding…that just elongated my time having to deal with HER!" Beldam cried out in frustration.

"And that dress is absolutely hideous, haven't you ever heard that orange is a completely nasty color?! And that ugly hair needs some conditioner or something to get those hideous curls out of it—that perm makes you look unattractive! And the fact that your skin is GREEN! Anyone that doesn't have purple skin is repulsive! And…"

Miles and Beldam both stepped back shakily as an angered Queen Bean (whose green skin had turned red at the face) stepped forward, cracking her knuckles.

"Um, mom? Don't act irrationally now!" Prince Peasley warned. "…Oh, wait…what am I saying?! She called me, the pretty, handsome, attractive, striking, gorgeous, eye-catching, and smart prince of the Beanbean Kingdom…she called me UGLY! Let me help you!"

Everyone howled in pain as Prince Peasley's shiny teeth magnified and reflected the large amount of lantern light into their faces.

**9:30 A.M. (Beanbean Castle Courtyard)**

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Beanbean Castle Courtyard)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Keeping a bribe to yourself promises the skylight to pencil the rainbows of fairy flying unicorns!)" Smorgo commented.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I don't understand what you just said, but it sounded very, very smart to the extreme that I would never comprehend to pi of twenty.)" Smorga complimented.

"…Finally…"

As the Smorg came rolling up to the mat (along with an unopened clue envelope stuck to Smorga), Miles managed to stand up. Apparently, the Yoshi and the other two hosts had spent the whole night awake, waiting for the final team, but Queen Bean and Prince Peasley had long since fallen asleep against a bush, while Lady Lima was nowhere in sight. This left Miles to check the team in.

"Man…" Miles rubbed his eyes groggily as he struggled to stay awake. "…Urggh…dang…won't be able to travel…after being awake…for over 2 days straight…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (WEDDING CAKE IS MY GUMMI WORM!)" Smorgo yelled.

"…Smorgo and Smorga…" Miles had to punch himself to remain conscious. "…You're the…last…team to arrive…but this leg…isn't over…here…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (A piece of a peas peace offering! Nice!)" Smorga said, adding the clue envelope to her collection.

The two Smorg proceeded to roll out of the courtyard as Miles crumpled to the ground, fast asleep.

-----

**9:59 A.M. (Woohoo Hooniversity Gates)**

A group of eight marked cars had assembled at the newly installed, but closed gates that led to Woohoo Hooniversity. While the majority of the teams had stayed at a hotel in Beanbean Castle Town for the night, a few had opted to save money by sleeping in their cars, while one had also received free accommodations at the castle itself.

After looking at his watch to check the time, a Beanbean guard walked over to the lock that held the entryway shut. He quickly unlocked it, and pushed the gates open, narrowly leaving himself enough time to escape as the first vehicle zoomed by.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Woohoo Hooniversity Campus)**

"Remember, Queen…as soon as we pull up to the front of the school, get out and start searching." Beldam ordered.

"Why would I want to do that? The very name of the place sounds outrageous…I might get sick from stepping out of this car!" Queen wailed.

"…Why do I even bother?"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Woohoo Hooniversity Campus)**

"By the way the clue is worded, we apparently have to search inside of the school for the Sun Door," said Toadsworth.

"Oh really? Don't you know where it is?" Zess asked suspiciously. "After all…you've been here before, haven't you?"

"…To the kingdom itself, yes…but I never visited the Hooniversity." Toadsworth explained. "…Zess, are you feeling quite alright? You aren't talking as much as—"

"I'm fine." Zess cut him off. "Really."

**Husband & Wife: Married (Woohoo Hooniversity Campus)**

"BABE, WATCH OUT!"

Husband made a sharp turn to avoid a Troopea that was sleeping in the path, oblivious to the noise that was going on around it.

"These people are so barbaric!" Husband said, looking back at the snoozing creature. "What kind of idiot would sleep in the middle of the road?!"

"A stupid one, I bet." Wife replied.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Woohoo Hooniversity Campus)**

Woohoo Hooniversity, a red brick building elevated upon a large set of stone blocks on an island, was connected to the beach by a small wooden bridge. Keeping with its theme, the faces on the steps that led up to the open entrance were happy and smiling to the point where the mouths seemed like they would break. On either side of the steps were two large statues that seemed almost like guards—they were enveloped in cloaks, and had large, bushy moustaches.

"Alright, we're here!"

Pungry brought the marked car to a halt and jumped out after Pungent. The two Punis hurried across the bridge, up the stairs, and entered the school, just as several other teams leapt out of their respective cars.

"Dude, this place looks pretty dang big! Think we'll be able to find yonder prism and scat?" King K. asked.

"I really hope so, and I also really hope that we aren't entering during a passing period." Andy responded.

Bandy Andy and King K. ran in the open doors, followed by To and Too, Hamma and Flare, and Shimi and Waitress. Within seconds, the next wave of cars had parked, and the other four teams joined in the search for the Sun Door.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Woohoo Hooniversity Campus)**

Unfortunately for all of the teams, they had gotten stuck in the slow flow of the overcrowded school's ten-minute passing period. As groups and groups of students passed on by, each team found themselves overwhelmed with nowhere to go.

"Oh, great…excuse me, but where's the Sun Door at?" Waitress shouted. "Geez, everyone's talking too loud to even hear me!"

"Tell me about it—watch it, greenie!" Shimi yelped as he leaped out of the way to avoid a swinging book bag. "Hey, look at that sign over there on the wall! I see our needed words of advice on it!"

"…The Sun Door…that way!" Waitress pointed. The two continued to dodge students as they headed in the direction the board on the wall had directed.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Woohoo Hooniversity Campus)**

"You know what? Maybe the Sun Door is some kind of entrance on the outside of the building…" Flare mumbled.

"Hey, look over there! It's Shim-stress! Looks like they know where they're going…" Hamma rubbed his chin. "Time to play follow the leader!"

"If it's possible…these nerds have no respect for celebs!" Flare shoved a bean out of his way. "But then again, I bet they spend all their time in desks or something…"

"We're not nerds; we're just smart! See, I used a colon in my previous sentence! Or was it a semicolon…" The bean trailed off before going on his way.

"…Nerd." Flare rolled his eyes.

**To & Too: Sisters (Woohoo Hooniversity Campus)**

"Ow, quit pushing!" To squeaked.

"Excuse me, sir, but where's the Sun Door at?" Too asked a professor that had conveniently stepped out of his classroom.

"Western section of the school. You girls should know…wait…you two aren't transfer students, are you?" The professor grinned crazily, straightening his swirl glasses.

"…Um…thank you?" Too pulled To away as the strange teacher started laughing for no reason.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Woohoo Hooniversity Campus)**

"You totally jinxed us, man!" King joked.

"Oh, be quiet…" Andy replied. "The crowd is starting to thin out, so we can make our way to the Sun Door easily enough in a few minutes. Meanwhile, we should first try to figure out where it is so we're not searching for it blindly."

"Think this'll work?" King asked, pointing to a labeled map on the wall.

"Sure."

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 1st (Woohoo Hooniversity Sun Door)**

"Here it is!" Waitress exclaimed as they entered the room.

The space the duo had entered seemed fitting—there were no other students; instead, rows of strange pedestals littered the floor. Glowing green lanterns lit the hall, and the windows around them were boarded tight with wooden planks. On the far end of the chamber was a large, yellow circle on the wall, engraved with stars. In front of it was the clue box, which seemed lit up by a strange source of light that was being emitted from the yellow door behind it.

"Should we make the Fast Forward?" Shimi asked, pulling a green folder out of a clue envelope just as their trailers entered the hall.

"No…we should save it for later." Waitress decided.

"Right…drive yourselves lacrosse east Beanbean kingdom and through Teehee Valley to Little Fungitown." Shimi read.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 2nd (Woohoo Hooniversity Sun Door)**

"Once there, find the Mushroom Embassy and locate your next clue." Hamma concluded.

_Teams must now drive themselves 7 miles across the eastern Beanbean Kingdom and through the confusing desert canyon of Teehee Valley until they reach this lift, which can carry only two at a time up to the remarkable village of Little Fungitown. This incredible rural community contains nearly one hundred immigrants from the Mushroom Kingdom, and is suspended high into the air by the Great Mountain Mushroom. After riding the lift up to the town, teams will need to head to the secluded back corner, where the Mushroom Embassy is located. It is here that they will find their next clue._

"Wait, let me read that…I didn't quite understand that the first time." Waitress said, taking the clue from Chef Shimi to read it over.

In the lead, the two teams headed out from the Sun Door room as the crowds of students started to drastically thin out. Since they were heading back the way they came, this heavily clued in other teams going the same direction, especially ones that had no previous idea where they were going.

**Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife/Beldam & Queen- Currently in 3rd thru 5th (Woohoo Hooniversity Sun Door)**

"Waitress and Shimi just passed by us, so we can catch up on the road to…Little Fungitown? Where's that?" Wife asked, turning to Toadsworth.

"…Um, yes…I do know where that is…" Toadsworth sweatdropped. "If I remember right, it's through Teehee Valley."

"Bet he went there with his previous girlfriend for a date or something…" Zess muttered to herself.

"Well, come on! We need to get out of here so we can avoid giving away where it is." Husband urged, pushing the trio out of the chamber.

"…I can't believe you got me to go in here! How dare you use race rules as brute force to make me follow you!" Queen whined, hitting the walls as she directed her complaints toward her partner.

"Tch. That's all you ever think about, isn't it?" Beldam rolled her eyes. Or so it's thought she did.

"…Aren't you going to read that stupid wood pulp so we can get out of here?! I don't even want to think about how filthy those halls were…ooooh! Absolutely disgusting!" Queen screeched.

"A Fast Forward?! Oh please, be something easy so I can spend half a day away from HER…" Beldam wished, opening the green folder. "…Oh no…"

_A Fast Forward is an award found on almost every leg of the race. Any team that uses a Fast Forward can skip all tasks and head directly to the pit stop, but that team will be unable to use another for the rest of the race, therefore, teams must decide when it is most advantageous to go for it. _

_In this Fast Forward, teams will need to drive to Little Fungitown, and search for this place: the Game Arcade. Both team members will need to collaborate to play a round of Star 'Stache Smash, one of the pergola's most popular and easiest games, and make a score higher than 350 points. After doing so, they will need to swap machines and play a round of the Barrel Game, arguably one of the more strategic and difficult games of the arcade, and score higher than 10 points. Once the team makes the required score on both machines, they will be rewarded with two Invincishrooms that they must both devour. To add for an even more dramatic effect, there are several posters hanging around the arcade mentioning the disastrous effects of the food's prototype; however, the Invincishrooms given to the team is perfectly safe. Upon downing the mushrooms, the arcade owner will then reward the team with the Fast Forward._

"Top scores given to you on two separate games, and then eat the rewards you are given?!" Beldam cried out. "…It's never going to work…"

"GAMES?!" Queen shrieked. "You're kidding, right? Why would I want to…oh, whatever…it'll be better than being in this dreadful place!"

Beldam made some kind of victory pose before leaving the room with the Shadow Queen.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 6th (Woohoo Hooniversity Sun Door)**

"Drive yourselves across eastern Beanbean and through Teehee Valley to Little Fungitown. Once there, find the Mushroom Embassy and locate your next clue." Andy read.

"Finally, man…a place that ain't got no laughter or bean reference." King noted.

"Heheh, yeah. I think this place thrives on driving people crazy with laughter everywhere…you notice how the trees seem to be laughing?" Andy shivered. "But the statues in here are frowning…it's actually welcoming."

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 7th (Woohoo Hooniversity Sun Door)**

"Too bad we already used our Fast Forward." Pungry muttered, tossing the folder away carelessly. "It sounds like fun, playing arcade games to earn it…"

"Eh, ain't no challenge in playin' games while runnin' a game, Pungry." Pungent said.

"Whatever…okay, we need to find the Mushroom Embassy in Little Fungitown. Hey, maybe the place is down to size with us!"

"Don't count on it…bet we'll be shot down with hopes like that."

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 8th (Woohoo Hooniversity Sun Door)**

"I have the feeling that the others have already been through here…" To remarked, seeing strips of envelope and a discarded Fast Forward clue around the box stand.

"Oh well, at least we found it." Too said, opening a Route Info. "Find the Mushroom Embassy to locate your next clue…alright. That sounds easy enough."

"Where's this embassy at?" To inquired.

"A place called…Little Fungitown."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Teehee Valley Entrance)**

"Okay…so this is the entry to Teehee Valley…" Hamma observed, looking out the window as their car passed through the opening in the canyon walls.

"Dude, look at the ground…all those shells and bones look kinda…freaky." Flare made a face.

"Keep your eyes on the road, but don't keep your eyes on…" Hamma trailed off. "Just don't pay attention to it so we can keep our lead!"

Flare immediately sped up, causing a sand cloud to be kicked up in his wake.

**Shimi & Waitress/Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife (Northeast Beanbean)**

"See? I told you we'd catch up!" Wife reminded as she rolled down the window.

"Guys, we can't find Teehee Valley!" Waitress yelled. "We lost sight of the brothers; they're already ahead of us!"

"We're on the right track! If you would've kept going, you'd have gone right into it, miss Waitress!" Toadsworth said, pointing ahead to the valley's entrance.

"…I sorta had a feeling that those looming walls were the mouth to a body of valley…" Shimi stated.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Northeast Beanbean)**

"This scenery is so disgusting! Nothing but trees, ground, water, pillars, and buildings in the distance!" Queen complained. "Why not some interdimensional portal that leads to a chaotic place like my former palace?! WHY?! IS THAT SO HARD FOR THESE LAME DESIGNERS?!"

"…No one designed nature, you idiot." Beldam retorted. "…Wait, actually someone did. It was—"

**Andy & King: Homeboys (East Beanbean)**

"We're catchin' up already…there's a marked car up there in the distance, and we're gainin'!" King K. announced.

"Awesome. I can see Teehee Valley's rock walls from here, too…that's a great sight, isn't it?" Andy stated. "You know, I've heard that some kind of monster or spirit or something used to live there, but it was booted out by Gonzales."

"G-money? You serious, dawg? That's awesome—not surprisin' to hear he's kicked butt all the way out here!" King laughed.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in Last (Woohoo Hooniversity Sun Door)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I feel like a popsicle—absolutely frozen solid!)" Smorgo announced, making the first somewhat scene-appropriate translation since the start of the race.

Posing like statues for no reason, cause, or stimulus whatsoever, the two Smorg were balanced atop two of the pedestals in the room. Of course, since they had very little to work with, their poses looked like what they would have looked like when they were doing nothing. It also became obvious that Smorga had since added to her envelope collection…by two.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Say hello to yer greatest unicorn's pet uncle ever! YOUR ANTHILL!)" Smorga cackled evilly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…I don't understand a bumblebee you're spitting.)" Smorgo said, falling off the dais. Seconds later, Smorga did the same.

Then, the too did something completely unethical by breaking through a boarded up window, resulting in an unceremonious fall into the ocean outside.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We're proud to say that we have amnesia!)"

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Teehee Valley)**

"Gee…these valley walls make me feel even smaller than usual…" Pungry muttered. "They feel so enclosed…it's freaky."

"You know what's even freakier?" Pungent asked in a strange monotone. "…That."

Pungry looked where Pungent had gestured in time to see several Spiky Snifits dancing around an Anuboo that had rearranged its form to look like a giant banana. As they moved, the large cacti's stubby feet kept getting tangled up, resulting in the whole scene looking like a choppy tribal sacrifice to a large black rock.

"…The Beanbean Kingdom officially gets a ten on the weird-o-meter." Pungry announced.

**To & Too: Sisters (Teehee Valley)**

"Wow…our first desert of the race! This place is so neat!" To chirped. "Well, except for the fact that those black things can shoot lasers from their eyes…"

"It's neat also, but just dangerous." Too added. "I'm so glad that they're not shooting at us."

"Ditto!"

One of the Anuboos shot a red laser from its eyes, but it bounced off of the marked vehicle as it passed by, and struck a random Gritty Goomba in the back.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Teehee Valley)**

"ARGH, DANGIT!" Flare pounded his fist on the wheel, causing the horn to blast. "It's a friggin' dead end… Bro, why the heck did you read the map WRONG?!"

"Shut. Up." Hamma growled. "Dude, it's just one stupid fork! We can go back! We just lost a little bit of time, that's all!"

"Time is valuable here, you idiot! We just lost our lead on everyone else thanks to you!"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/Husband & Wife (Teehee Valley, Fungitown Lift)**

Waiting as guards to the Little Fungitown lift, the two immigrant Toads stood at the very spot they'd kept for so long, ever since their experience with the Mario brothers, Trunkle, and a new boatload of courage. They both looked up as a set of three marked cars drove over the nearby hill, and parked in front of them.

"Whoa…is that a mirage, or is that Sir Toadsworth coming towards us?" One of the Toads murmured.

"…It looks like him…but that's impossible…"

"Well, only two can go at a time…" Waitress sighed. "I guess we have to go one team after another…"

"I think that Toadsworth and Zess should go first." Husband said. "Go on."

"Oh, my…thank you, my good man." Toadsworth chuckled.

Toadsworth jumped onto the lift, with a lagging Zess wearing the race pack walking on a few seconds after. The lift then started moving upward slowly before speeding up and into the air.

"…So…wanna play rock, paper, scissors?" Wife asked. "We'll never get anywhere if we just keep on saying 'you go first' to each other."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Little Fungitown)**

As the lift slowly came to a stop, the two Toads riding it stepped off. Although she'd never been to the town before, Zess seemed unfazed by the bright colors and mushroom themes, while Toadsworth was taken over by a wave of nostalgia.

"Oh, it's been quite a while since I've been here! And to think, we're going to where I spent the most of my stay with my highness…the embassy!"

"…That's great…" Zess said, using a fake, yet obvious tone of happiness.

"Quite right, old bean! Splendid! Now we just wait for the others."

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Teehee Valley, Fungitown Lift)**

"We're the fourth team here! Great!" Andy exclaimed. "It didn't seem that way when we left the university, though…"

"Guess some teams went off course, dawg." King replied. "Look, here they come!"

-----

Completing its resemblance to the Mushroom Kingdom, Little Fungitown's embassy had the quaint look of a small castle, furnished with a tall flagpole on the outside, and several toadstools around the path to the door. On the opposite side of the entrance from the flag was the clue box.

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/Husband & Wife- Currently in 1st (Little Fungitown, Mushroom Embassy)**

The three-team alliance rushed up to the prism and took their envelopes out.

"Alright, we've still got the lead…" Husband smirked. "Better keep it."

"Where can we go through to next?" Shimi asked.

"Let's see…" Zess opened the Route Info. "Make your way to the clearing in Teehee Valley where the S.S. Chuckola was once docked."

"Claim one of the motorboats, and direct yourselves to Joke's End." Waitress continued.

"Locate your next clue at the front hall." Wife ended.

_Teams must now drive 3 miles back through Teehee Valley to this clearing, at the edge of the ocean, where the ancient ship, the S.S. Chuckola was once stranded. Here, they will need to abandon their cars and take motorboats another 7 miles to this icy hideaway, Joke's End. This mystical stronghold, the site of some of the strongest creatures in the entire area of the Beanbean Kingdom, is known for its magnificent landscape and architecture, difficult puzzles, and signature soup. It is here, in the entrance chamber, that teams will find their next clue._

"I don't suppose you know where Joke's End is, Toadsworth?" Husband asked hopefully.

"…It's east of here, but otherwise, I don't really have any idea how to get to it." Toadsworth said apologetically.

"What about our maps?" Shimi asked.

"It appears that all of the Oho Ocean technically isn't part of Beanbean." Zess remarked. "Looks like we're heading to it blindly."

"Well, we do have the clearing's location, though…" Waitress mentioned, pointing to an area on the map. "We can probably find it from there…I hope."

"Alright, then…let's go!" Wife cheered.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 4th (Little Fungitown, Mushroom Embassy)**

"Joke's End…sounds like a total bummer compared to the rest of the funky names around here." Andy remarked.

"Definitely nods to that, yo! Just hope we can locate it…got teams trailin' our tail with no hands to lose!" King warned.

"Well, you're right about that…can't help worrying about it back here."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Game Arcade)**

Entering the arcade calmly, Beldam and Queen quickly met up with the manager.

"This place is easier on the eyes than I thought it'd be…good thing there aren't any fungi around, right?" Queen laughed, causing Beldam to sweatdrop.

"…Queen, this whole town is based on mushrooms." Beldam stated bluntly.

"I know! Mushrooms aren't fungi! And anyways, it's a change from those stupid laughing faces everywhere in that place we were at just earlier!" Queen laughed even harder, turning her own head into a laughing face.

"…Okay…" The manager raised an eyebrow. "Well, then…um… Yer're here for one reason and one reason only…that's to get the Fast Forward. First thing ya gotta do is head up those stairs right there, and take that closest machine…score 350 points or higher. If ya need any help, Geno's gonna give it to ya."

"Thanks." Beldam quickly grabbed Queen's hand and pulled her up the steps. She then placed her in a position in front of the Star 'Stache Smash machine.

"So…what are we doing again?" Queen asked. "…ACK! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!"

The Shadow Queen screeched as she noticed that the machine contained miniature heads of Mario and Luigi.

"…Oh no…" Beldam groaned.

"IF YOU EVEN THINK I'M GONNA TOUCH SOMETHING THAT HAS THE FACES OF THOSE TWO FREAKAZOIDS ON IT, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING! IF YOU'RE EVEN CRAZY ENOUGH TO…"

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 5th (Little Fungitown, Mushroom Embassy)**

"Make your way to the clearing in Teehee Valley where the S.S. Chuckola was once docked. Claim one of the motorboats, and direct yourselves to Joke's End. Locate your next clue at the front hall." Pungry read. "Back into Teehee Valley…alright."

"Great…we actually get the chance to ride a motorboat…missed out on it back at Harborside Cabana." Pungent remarked.

"So did some of the others. But still…it shouldn't be too hard to do, right?"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 6th (Little Fungitown, Mushroom Embassy)**

"What kind of place is called Joke's End? That sounds sorta cool…but sorta creepy at the same time." Hamma muttered.

"You got that right…good thing we've ridden motorboats before…driving should be a snap!" Flare smirked.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 7th (Little Fungitown, Mushroom Embassy)**

"…Locate your next clue at the front hall." Too concluded. "So we need to find Joke's End…I wonder how we do that without a map…"

"The same way we always wander everywhere, of course…it shouldn't be too hard." To said calmly. "Or we could just try asking some of these Toads, but I doubt they'd know…"

"You're right…they all seem confined to this place…it doesn't appear that any of them have done any traveling around here…" Too observed.

"To say we travel a lot is an understatement…we can also somewhat tell how well-traveled someone else is by just looking at them and watching their behavior or mannerisms. It sounds strange, but for some reason, it's easy to do for us…it comes naturally. But, it's inexplicable to say how we got it or how we do it…it just happens." Too explained.

"Alright, so we're off."

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Teehee Valley)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Playing chess without your belly is so much fun!)" Smorga giggled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Oh, well too bad for the candy man. I think he ate the bus.)" Smorgo replied.

Piloting the car wildly, the Smorg sputtered various other comments as their vehicle smashed into the canyon walls, narrowly missed several Anuboos, and knocked over several Spiky Snifits, before ramming repeatedly into a yellow pipe jutting out from the rocks.

"Hey hey hey! What's all the racket?!"

Several Gritty Goombas popped out of the pipe and just watched as the car kept on bumping into it. They all looked at each other before nodding.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Game Arcade)**

"Oh, come on Queen! You have gloves, a spray bottle, and a blindfold! What else would you want!" Beldam cried.

"Well…I WANT to not do this stupid thing!" Queen spat. "Do you know how demeaning it is to even look at those idiotic-looking faces, with those big noses, ugly facial hair, old-fashioned hats, terrible shade of brown hair…"

"Can't I just do the task by myself?" Beldam pleaded. "Please! I'm begging you!"

"…Sorry…gotta cooperate as a team!" The manager shouted from below.

"…We're never going to finish this Fast Forward…maybe we should just go to the main track…" Beldam muttered.

-----

A set of marked cars drove into the Teehee Valley clearing. Large scrape marks had hardened in the sand, showing where the S.S. Chuckola had once been docked. A short distance away from the back wall of the canyon was the shoreline, and a line of motorboats pointing outward.

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/Husband & Wife (Teehee Valley, Ocean Clearing)**

"There are the motorboats!"

After getting out of their marked cars, the three teams pulled out their backpacks before heading towards the boats.

"Oh, thank goodness…they provided maps! …Or not…" Wife trailed off. "All these rock formations and they didn't show which one is Joke's End?"

"It's this light-blue one, right here." Toadsworth pointed out. "Quite strange…I don't recall there being so many rocky islands out in the Oho Ocean…"

"…Even the seas have corn-filled names?" Shimi questioned.

"…What?"

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Oho Ocean)**

"Okay…I'm only guessing this, but since this large one right here is colored differently, it's probably where we're going." Andy explained to his partner.

"Alright, dawg…looks like we're headin' up north most of the time…" King observed. "Don't look too hard…"

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Oho Ocean)**

"Joke's End…Joke's End…great…is this some kind of sick joke?" Pungent groaned. "They ain't labeled anythin' on here…"

"I think it's that one." Pungry said, gesturing towards the blue structure close to the top of the map. "Hey, look! There's another boat up there!"

"Awesome! Lemme just keep 'em in sight, and we'll make it there in no time!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Teehee Valley, Fungitown Lift)**

"And stay away!"

The group of Gritty Goombas fled out from under the marked car, causing it to fall back onto the ground. They all then scuttled away back into the desert.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (What kind of strange child is this cardinal eggplant trying to give through the sink?)" Smorga asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (No idea…maybe it's a yodel machine trying to take over a beehive.)" Smorgo responded.

"…What are those things?"

Wisely choosing to not interfere, the two guard Toads stood aside as the two Smorg rolled by, and boarded the lift.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Like, oh my gosh! The earth is moving!)"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Oho Ocean)**

"I think I know what being a blind sea creature feels like." To remarked. "This isn't a very good map to be following…"

"Yeah…the proportions and stuff look sorta off." Too concurred. "Just look at those rock formations…we've passed by a few of them already, and they look nothing alike."

"At least we know where we're headed, though."

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/Husband & Wife (Oho Ocean)**

"Oh, gosh! LOOK OUT FOR THAT WHIRLPOOL!" Waitress shrieked.

"AIYEEH!" Shimi frantically turned the steering wheel, and managed to avert their motorboat from entering the swirling vortex of water.

"I don't think we're going the right way if there's a whirlpool around…hey guys, watch out for that whirlpool!" Waitress shouted.

"Okay! Thanks, Waitress!" Husband yelled. "I have a feeling that we're going the wrong way if we have to avoid a whirlpool…"

"It's small…look." Wife pointed. "But, we could still get sucked in."

"Let's not." Husband replied dryly.

"Zess, isn't this a jolly good boat ride? We missed out on this opportunity back at Harborside Cabana…how nice it is to regain a chance!" Toadsworth exclaimed.

"Yeah, sure." Zess rolled her eyes.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Oho Ocean)**

"Oh, great…are we there yet? Already this view of water everywhere is killing me…" Flare groaned.

"Then that makes two of us." Hamma retorted. "Seriously, this is where the joke ends…this motor noise is what's killing ME."

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Game Arcade)**

"A measly 42 points?! Beldam, what's wrong with you?! We should be getting a lot more with my expertise at this game!"

"…First off, this is our first try. Secondly…you didn't even do anything!" Beldam shouted. "I'm the one that pushed my button the whole time! You didn't even touch yours to make your side move down!"

"Oh. Wait, what are we trying to do again?" Queen asked.

"…Urggh…okay, look. We push these buttons to make those heads controlling that little board go down on each side, so we can make those little falling symbols go into the holes on the sides. That's all there is to it."

"Oh. That's too hard!" Queen complained. "What do you expect me to do?!"

"Uh…participate?"

"NO!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 8th (Little Fungitown, Mushroom Embassy)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Did you know that the snow in the city of shirts grows like a shoot turning from the light bulbs of entirety?)" Smorgo asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How dare you insult me with your splendid frivolity! You impudent fool—what a pineapple!)" Smorga fumed.

"…I don't even think I want to ask, see?"

The two Smorg rummaged through the clue box as if it was a trashcan. After a few seconds, they both hopped out…with one open envelope stuck to Smorga.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I wish I could blanket the way to the flowers.)" Smorga remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Yeah, I know…comfort food makes me feel fatter than belly.)" Smorgo stated.

As the Smorg rolled off, narrowly avoiding falling off the mushroom platform, a group of Toads and their mushroom-cleaning slave came out of their obvious hiding spots behind mushroom bases.

"What were those things?"

"How the heck should I know, you imbecile? I know I'm a genius, but I'm not all that smart, see?" Popple, the former shadow thief of the kingdom laughed. "…Wait…"

"BACK TO POLISHING, YOU SLACKER!"

"Ow! Hey, hey!"

-----

Joke's End, the coldest and most bitter locale located anywhere close to the Oho Ocean, had a frigid air about it that seemed to urge unwanted visitors to stay away. Massive ice blocks covered with snow seemed impossible in the tropical atmosphere, yet there was no sign of melted ice in sight. In fact, the only things that weren't as icy as the building were the green Warp Pipe outside and the beach immediately preceding the frozen steps off the sand.

The roar of a motorboat died down as its occupants jumped out onto the shore.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Joke's End Beach)**

"…Brrr…we're not even in there yet, and it feels so cold!" Waitress shivered, rubbing her arms.

"No kidding…my lips feel as if they ate ice cream and are frozen." Shimi remarked.

Shortly after the landing of the train employees, the other two motorboats pulled up to the coastline.

"Remarkable…my, I've never seen such a frigid structure." Toadsworth stated.

"Yeah. It sort of makes me glad I don't live in Fahr Fahr Outpost…" Wife joked. "I really hope we don't have to stay here long…"

Moving quickly in hopes of leaving at the same speed, the group of six headed up the long trail of steps up to the open door and into the entrance hall.

"Here's the clue box…" Husband gave the flames on either side of the chamber a suspicious look before getting an envelope.

"…Oh, great…a Detour." Zess groaned.

"Please make us go back outside somewhere or something…" Wife whispered.

"Detour. Sculpt or Scuffle. 'What would be your primary function in an icy society?'" Husband read.

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have to choose between Sculpt or Scuffle._

_In Sculpt, teams will need to go to this outdoor ice balcony, close to the entrance. After choosing a workstation, they will need to use the provided tools to pick away at their block of ice until they reach the center, which has been frozen harder than the rest of the block. Upon revealing the figurine inside, they will need to carry it back to the area near the clue box, and set it down under one of the Joke's End statuettes that are spewing icy water. Once they have done this, they will receive their next clue._

_In Scuffle, teams will have to head to this outdoor staircase, located directly next to an inaccessible stairway that is parallel to it. Teams will then need to take turns partaking in an all-out war zone simulation performed by the various creatures living at Joke's End. While one team member will have to throw snowballs to keep the foe at bay, the other will be required to retrieve Joke Broth Soup from a large bucket near the fray and feed a full bowl each to three standbys pretending to be injured. After doing so, they will receive a map and key directing them to a boiler room under the main cauldron of soup in the main hallway. It is here that they will get their next clue._

"…We have to STAY here?" Waitress complained.

"No, wait… 'Note: Before heading to a task, change into an ice parka, provided at the location indicated in the included map." Zess read. "Lovely."

"So…what are our decisions? I honestly don't think that Zess and I are able to do Scuffle…so we'll have to Sculpt." Toadsworth declared.

"Really? That's too bad. I think that we can do Scuffle, right Wife?" Husband inquired.

"…Well…I guess…" Wife shrugged.

"Um…I think we should break the ice, too." Shimi said.

"…Sculpt? Well, okay. I guess we'll just have to split up for this one, guys." Waitress sighed. "What'll we do if one finishes before the rest?"

"…I don't really know…"

"Just continue on like normal." Husband answered. "We'll catch up in the end, right? I'm sure that we can stay together."

"All right!"

After taking a look at the maps in their envelopes, the teams ran off to the changing room.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 4th (Joke's End, Entrance)**

"It's a bit too icy-chill in here, yo…think we could speed it up a bit?" King questioned.

"Maybe." Andy opened an envelope to reveal the yellow folder. "Detour. Sculpt or Scuffle. 'What would be your primary function in an icy society?'"

"Guessin' we're stayin', then…"

"Yeah. Well…let's see…I think that since we're both used to battles, we'd get Scuffle done quicker."

"Alright, dig."

"Great! …According to this, we can get suited up with some parkas, too…that'll be good. Let's go!"

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 5th (Joke's End, Entrance)**

"Sculpt or Scuffle…what do you think?" Too asked.

"I don't really know…but…haven't you ever wanted to ice sculpt?" To questioned. "I think I want to try Sculpt…"

"Okay! Let's do it, then!" Too cheered. "Before our eyelashes freeze and fall off!"

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress (Joke's End, Ice Balcony)**

The two teams came out of the closed-in section area of Joke's End and onto the long stretch of balcony, attired in semi-large parkas. They each waddled over to workstations, labeled with team names.

"What an extraordinary view! I was not aware that we were this high above the ground!" Toadsworth exclaimed, taking a gander at the landscape of icy mountains in the distance.

"That is a distraction…" Zess muttered. "Toadsworth, how about if we get started and look at the view later?"

"Okay…so we just pick away at the ice until we uncover a statue? This shouldn't be too hard." Waitress picked up a hammer and a nail.

"Do we really know what and how we're doing this?" Shimi asked.

"Well…no. But then again, I don't think we knew how to build that trap yesterday, either." Waitress replied, sticking the nail into a position on the block before hitting it with the hammer's head.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Joke's End, Ice Stairwell)**

Looking somewhat strange in bright-colored parkas, the two Twilighters emerged from the main building to find themselves outside, on one of two staircases.

"I think this is—oh my gosh!" Wife shrieked, ducking to avoid a snowball.

"What the—"

Perched atop the other stairway was a large group of local Joke's End creatures, none of which looked like pushovers. Although small, the parka-wearing Ice Snifits and blue blobbish Glurps had an intimidating gleaming in their eyes. Soaring above their heads were several smirking Scaratroopeas, and below them, the large, bulky Clumphs. Each individual had a snowball ready to be thrown, and the target for each one was exactly the same.

Sprawled out across the floor nearby on the same staircase as Husband and Wife were several Scaratroopeas, each with a large bowl in front of his or her head. Up the flight of stairs was a large cauldron of Joke Broth Soup, bubbling and filled to the brim.

"I guess we get started." Wife picked up a bowl and started running up the stairs, only to be bombarded by several snowballs, causing her to trip.

"HEY! No one does that to MY wife!" Husband shouted, tossing back a few snowballs of his own into the crowd across the gap.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 6th (Joke's End, Entrance)**

"It isn't even REAL battling…it's serving as a nurse!" Hamma muttered disgustedly. "Heck…who'd want to do that?"

"…Tch. I don't know." Flare answered. "Let's go for sculpting that ice…we've got our own skills that are better!"

"Right on!"

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Oho Ocean)**

"Ain't seein' nothin' yet…think we've gone too far?" Pungent queried.

"I'm not exactly sure…I can't even tell where we are…" Pungry groaned. "I can't make heads or tails out of this map anymore…"

The Punis sighed simultaneously.

"It can't be much farther, I'm thinkin'. Don't lose it just yet!" Pungent encouraged.

"Ever since gettin' lost back at Faire Square, I made a promise to myself to not be so negative… After all, why'd it be such a waste to make such a big deal out of being like that? That ain't the kinda thing I'd wanna look back at later on." Pungent remarked quietly. 

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Teehee Valley, Ocean Clearing)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Did you know that if you breed twenty-five tombstones toward metal sticks, they bond into a cooler of lozenges?)" Smorgo asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (No, silly…a unicycle has eighteen wheels and three handlebars.)" Smorga retorted.

Dusting themselves with sand, shells, and debris from the beach, the Smorg jumped into the motorboat, causing it to sink slightly into the ground from the immense weight of wet, hardened sand.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Gardens and couches take the organization up the stairs and through the circus of barbells!)"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Game Arcade)**

"Urgh…finally…351 points…" Beldam moaned, cracking her knuckles.

"Well, it's about time you did your fair share of the work, Beldam. I mean, I couldn't even see what you were trying to do…giving me Mario's head! It's an interesting thought, but that's totally disgusting that I was in control of it!" Queen shrieked.

"…Oh, please. At least you know who that is…I have no clue who's unlucky wooden head this one belongs to…" Beldam trailed off. "…He looks sorta…kinda…um…well…"

"Cute that you took forever in beating the Star 'Stache Smash, ladies…" The manager muttered, walking slowly up the stairs to the second-floor gaming platform. "Now…in case you've forgotten what's next…you're to play the Barrel Game on that machine right there…and score 10 points or higher. It helps if you get lessons first, though. Gotta admit, she's a toughie."

"…YOU INSOLENT FOOL!" Queen shouted, blowing the glasses off of the Toad. "How dare you even insinuate that I, the great Shadow Queen, would need HELP! What is WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Beldam quietly apologized under her breath as the Toad staggered in the other direction and fell down the stairs, petrified from Queen's outburst.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Hamma & Flare (Joke's End, Ice Balcony)**

"It's so cold out here…and I'm sweating…" To murmured, wiping her brow.

"Yeah…who knew that ice sculpting could be so hard?" Too asked, slamming her hammer into a nail to break away a chunk of ice.

"No, really…did you know that in some places, they actually use lasers and saws to make it EASIER?" Zess replied dryly.

After being at work on their statue for a while, the two teams of the alliance had made a bit of headway in revealing bits and pieces of the ice sculpture. Although they'd arrived last, Hamma and Flare were speeding along—because the instructions hadn't prohibited them from doing so, they were using their respective skills in wielding hammers and fire to make the challenge much easier.

"I think I recognize this cute little design…" Waitress giggled, eyeing a part of the covered statuette she uncovered.

"There's such a thing as warm cold, correct?" Shimi asked. "I'm feeling it in its entirety…"

"…Um…" Waitress nodded shakily.

"Oh, Zess! I believe I've uncovered a very nice part of this sculpture!" Toadsworth exclaimed excitedly, pointing towards an area he'd just cleared.

"…That's great." Zess rolled her eyes, causing Toadsworth to look at her oddly.

**Husband & Wife/Andy & King (Joke's End, Ice Stairwell)**

"It's so much easier holding them off with more than just one arm throwing the snowballs. Thanks a lot, King K." Husband remarked gratefully, chunking a small snowball at the group of enemies, but missing.

"Hey, no problem, man…when ya got it, ya got it." King replied, tossing several snow chunks that knocked a few Scaratroopeas back.

"Dear, you better not be implying that I'm not helping, because I am!" Wife shouted as she filled a bowl up with soup from the cauldron.

"I'm not, babe! Geez…women jump to conclusions too fast…" Husband sighed.

As Wife carefully started back down the steps to the area with the 'injured' Scaratroopeas, Andy finished feeding one the contents of a bowl, tilting the creature's head back to allow for the broth to run slowly down its throat.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Game Arcade)**

"I HATE THIS GAME!" Queen screamed. "Who in the name of shadows would even WANT to put barrels into STUPID, LITTLE, NEAT, ORGANIZED, ROWS?! IT'S ABSURD!"

"…Queen…it's an arcade game." Beldam slapped her forehead. "All games are fake; they aren't real!"

"Well, what's this stupid race we're running? It's a GAME! I QUIT!"

"You can't just QUIT! We're going to be eliminated if you quit here! We can't possibly catch up after spending so much time here! We have to finish this Fast Forward!"

"NO! I'M DONE!"

The Shadow Queen stormed out the front door of the arcade, screaming and shouting incessantly.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore…" Beldam pounded her fist on the floor. "How can I get the vacation I want from my own life when I'm on it with the one I was trying to get away from? And here, she's just even more of a pain in the shadow than ever…"

Looking on the verge of angry tears, Beldam rushed out of the arcade herself in attempts to catch up with Queen.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Oho Ocean)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I think the alfredo is sick of the air being so densely populated.)" Smorga muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, did you think that the cause of circumference squared was not that of a point-riding astronaut?)" Smorgo asked.

Suddenly, a random Mecha-Blooper popped out from under the sea and blasted two Bullet Bills that each hit one of the Smorg. It cackled before reloading and diving back underwater.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I concur…that was most sudden; the very epitome of strange robotic metal men throwing rifles.)" Smorga said intelligently.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, how, then, are our presences thoroughly unscathed by the careless and sudden bombardment of explosive bills?)" Smorgo responded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Appreciate our unscathed state while it lasts. Appease your soul with this crystalline view of the horizon's overpowering splendor as we continue onward.)" Smorga answered.

Shaking themselves of the dirt and grime on their bodies, Smorgo and Smorga proceeded to try and go fishing with their bodies while their boat was moving. The result, much to the dismay of the filming crew, was an overturned dinghy.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 7th (Joke's End, Entrance)**

"Yes!"

Shivering slightly, the two Punis rushed up to the clue box and took an envelope out.

"'Detour. Sculpt or Scuffle. What would your primary function be in an icy society?'" Pungry read.

"Sounds kinda obvious." Pungent chuckled. "Let's get on and suited up and head out to those there ice blocks!"

"Well, that works for me." Pungry shrugged. The two hurried off to the changing room.

**Husband & Wife/Andy & King (Joke's End, Ice Stairwell)**

"That's two done!" Andy shouted to King excitedly as he stood up and grabbed the bowl of his third mock victim.

"Keep it up, dawg! We'll be rocketin' out of this chill zone in no time!" King encouraged, throwing a snowball to neutralize one heading towards Wife.

"Oh, thanks, King K.! At least someone is protecting me around here…" Wife muttered as she continued feeding one of the grounded Scaratroopeas.

"What ARE you talking about? If you hadn't fallen, like four times, we would've been outta here already!" Husband yelled agitatedly.

"Well, babe, it's not my fault that those freakish green monsters throw snowballs so hard!" Wife retorted. "Ow! Stop it, you stupid cavemen!"

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Hamma & Flare (Joke's End, Ice Balcony)**

"Okay…we're almost done…just need to get that part cracked." Waitress started hammering at an area of ice.

"How'll we crack open the end? It's usually the hardest part of crack." Shimi said. "…Wait, no! I didn't say that!"

"They're almost done…geez!" Too looked contemplatively at the brother's block.

"I wonder what it's like to be able to wield a hammer or spit fire…" To giggled as she slammed the hammer into a nail, cracking the ice on the area she was working on.

"Come on, bro! Once you get that done, we can get out of this stupid place! My nose is running…" Hamma complained, swinging a large hammer towards the block.

"Well, I can't tell if I need to keep flaming this part…it won't melt!" Flare argued.

"That means it's part of the statue! Move on to another part!" Hamma commanded.

"It's getting down to the wire…soon, a team will finish and it'll be a struggle to carry these icy statues back into Joke's End." Toadsworth murmured.

"It's ice. How hard could it be to carry it?" Zess sniffed. "Furthermore, you should bite your tongue! What kind of struggle would it be with teamwork?"

"You've got to realize that we might not be able to control the carry of our statue, Zess." Toadsworth answered quietly. "What has gotten into you, lately?"

"A bit of food and sleep. Why? Is your intake a bit awry?" Zess sneered. Toadsworth stared in shock.

"…What?!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Hypnotist Center)**

"Queen, stop it! You're not going to be hypnotized! That's a waste of money!" Beldam pulled Queen away from Kamek's outstretched hand.

"I WANT TO BE HYPNOTIZED OUT OF THIS STUPID RACING NIGHTMARE! IT'S ALL A DREAM, THAT'S WHAT IT IS!" Queen screamed, causing one of the mirrors in the room to shatter and break.

"…That's…okay…I'll…buy another…" Kamek twitched. "…Now…whatever is the problem?"

"Well, we're in a competition against these other people. It involves all these tasks and stuff…well, we're trying to do something that involves a challenge at the game arcade, but we aren't cooperating well enough to do it!" Beldam explained, trying to control a furiously wiggling Queen.

"And why is there such a lack of cooperation between the two of you?" Kamek asked.

"I don't work with a disobedient WENCH. Besides…her filthy lies anger me!" Queen said crossly.

"For once and for all, I'm not your wench!" Beldam yelled.

"Now, now…no yelling." Kamek raised a hand. "Tell me. What is stopping you from completing this…challenge at the…game…arcade?"

"I don't know…ask her." Beldam pointed.

"Well, DUH! It's so friggin' obvious. THOSE BARRELS ARE THE UGLIEST SHADES OF RED AND BLUE I'VE EVER SEEN!"

Beldam looked as if she'd just been frozen by her own ice magic.

"…Hypnotize her…" Beldam growled to Kamek, before leaning in to whisper something to him.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Hamma & Flare/Pungry & Pungent (Joke's End, Ice Balcony)**

"I can't believe you…" Toadsworth whispered. "What is wrong, Zess? You haven't been yourself since this morning…"

"Well, of course not!" Zess snapped. "Why did you have to run the race with me?! You already have another…another…"

"…Another what?"

"Another…GIRLFRIEND!" Zess screamed, causing all of the other teams to look up.

"Seriously…Toadsworth is not the type I'd expect to cheat on someone else…" Waitress whispered to Chef Shimi, who nodded in agreement. The sisters giggled nervously, having overheard the comment.

"…Girlfriend?" Toadsworth gasped. "…Oh! You must mean Lady Lima…why, we're nothing more than lifelong friends. Ever since my visit to Beanbean, we haven't seen each other…sometimes, she can be highly emotional. But, Zess…you should've said something…we're just friends. Really…"

"…" Zess turned a rosier red than the color she'd been from the cold. "…Oh…"

Toadsworth stared at Zess silently for what seemed like an eternity. No one could tell if the calm gaze was one of disapproval, one of anger, or one of sadness. It seemed to be a mixture of the three.

"YES! We're done!"

The other three teams turned to look towards a celebrating Hamma and Flare, who'd just received approval from the Icy Snifit that their statue was indeed uncovered. It was a battle pose of the two brothers: Hamma was kneeling in a ready position, wielding two large hammers held in a cross in front of his face. Flare stood facing the opposite direction, in an equally ready stance, with a small bit of mock flame erupting from his mouth.

"…Y-You just n-need to c-carry it b-back to the f-front h-hall…y-you kn-know, where th-that large Clumph w-was g-guarding the p-parka changing r-rooms? Y-You'll g-get your c-clue and b-be able to ch-change…" The Icy Snifit explained.

"Alright! We'll do just that!" Hamma assured her.

"They're already finished? You've got to be kidding…" Pungry muttered in disbelief.

Heaving the relatively light ice figure into the air, the two brothers rushed past the other workstations and back into the building part of Joke's End. After running down the hall, they met up with the Clumph in front of the changing rooms with the parkas inside.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1st (Joke's End, Welcoming Hall)**

Letting the ice sculpture down easily, Hamma and Flare eagerly accepted the clue envelope the Clumph presented to them.

"Where are we going next?" Hamma questioned as Flare discovered a card labeled 'Route Info.'

"Let's see…" Flare cleared his throat. "'Change out of the provided winter attire and return to your boats. Then, using the previously obtained map, direct yourselves to the Oho Oasis. Locate the Fire Temple, and search for clue envelopes hidden inside. Note: A select few of the envelopes contain the information you need.'"

_Teams must now pilot their motorboats 8 miles to this island out in the middle of the Oho Ocean, named by explorers as the Oho Oasis. This strange island, inhabited by a unique race of creatures, is home to two great gods known as the masters of fire and thunder. Here, inside of the Fire Temple, clues are hidden inside of small alcoves scattered throughout the rooms. However, only 12 of the 40 clues concealed contain the information they need._

"Great! We can finally get out of these stupid parkas!" Hamma cheered. The two brothers ecstatically rushed into the changing room, and in a flash, were out again, as they hurried out of the freezing temperatures of Joke's End.

**Husband & Wife/Andy & King (Joke's End, Ice Stairwell)**

"Second bowl is finally clean…" Wife announced, grabbing the bowl of the third injured Scaratroopea she was to care for.

"Hurry it up, babe! A few of those guys over there fell! This is your chance!" Husband informed.

"No kiddin'!" King said triumphantly. "I haven't had this much of a blast ever since throwin' down with meh homey G-Money!"

"Well, start wrapping that up, King. I'm almost done back here…" Andy quickly started spooning the warm broth in his third bowl to the Scaratroopea faster.

Within seconds, the spoon clattered to the bottom of the bowl as Andy excitedly jumped up. A supervising Icy Snifit stepped out from a covered area and handed a small map to Andy.

"Okay…so we need to go back inside and down these stairs…" Andy muttered. "Time to make tracks!"

"Awesome job! We're outta here!" King exclaimed. The two homeboys quickly rushed back into the building part of Joke's End to avoid the flurry of snowballs.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 2nd (Joke's End, Welcoming Hall)**

"I can't believe you can do that with ice…they never did anything so nice aboard the Excess Express…" Waitress sighed longingly.

The two train employees stepped back once more to gaze at their gorgeous ice sculpture—in it, the two were standing side-to-side while performing their roles aboard the Excess Express. Shimi was wearing his chef's hat and an apron, and there was a large tray with assorted foods on it. Waitress was posed in a curtsy while holding up a covered platter, her hair frozen into a swaying motion behind her head.

"Thanks." Shimi opened the envelope. "Gage the divided winner's tires into your floats. Then, bruising the obviously contained gap, dissect your sides with hoes and odes. Liver—"

"Maybe it's better if I read it…" Waitress suppressed a giggle as she took the Route Info from her partner.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 3rd (Joke's End, Furnace)**

Reaching the clue box in front of the small fireplace, the KP Koopa and Big Bandit wasted no time in retrieving a clue.

"'Change out of the provided winter attire…'" King began.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 4th (Joke's End, Welcoming Hall)**

Moving slowly, the elderly duo had to place the sculpture down carefully to avoid dropping it. Their pose was relatively simple; the two were hugging each other in a light embrace while wearing their usual, casual garments.

"Thank you, sir." Toadsworth opened the clue envelope. "…Oho Oasis…I have no clue where that is…oh, fiddlesticks. Neither Master Mario or Master Luigi ever even mentioned such a place…"

Zess watched quietly as Toadsworth disappeared into one of the changing rooms. Sighing miserably, she trailed into the other.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Game Arcade)**

"Great! We finally made it through the Barrel Game with 11 points!" Beldam applauded heartily. "Now what?"

"Well…you beat two high scores…so that means you get two rewards. Come with me, please."

The Shadow Queen and Beldam both followed the arcade manager down the stairs.

"Wait…two Fast Forwards? How is that supposed to work?" Beldam asked, slightly confused.

"No…you haven't fulfilled all of the requirements yet." The manager explained, sitting the two down at a table. "For beating the high scores, it's customary for all patrons to earn themselves an Invincishroom. In your case…you two have to eat one each."

"…Invincishroom? Isn't that the…" Beldam stared in horror around the room at the posters that had gone unnoticed. "YOU'RE GOING TO FEED US POISON?! OH, HECK, NO! Queen, we're getting out of here! I don't care what happens—we're not eating something that'll turn us into…BEANS!"

As the hysteric Beldam continued to sputter various screams of terror, Queen mechanically stared ahead, her hypnotic eyes unchanging, even when Beldam attempted to yank her out of her seat. She didn't move an inch. Instead, she forced Beldam to sit back down.

"I SHOULD'VE KNOWN I WAS SUPPOSED TO RE-WORD WHAT I SAID TO THAT CRAZY HYPNOTIST!" Beldam squealed.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 8th (Joke's End, Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Two arrows, opposing directions…one obviously to an option of exquisiteness, the other to the fray of precipitating difficulties…)" Smorgo murmured.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Which one shall we humor with our presence? It should not matter, after all…time is not a very large detail for us to be worried about.)" Smorga grunted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I've always wanted to attempt the formal art of ice sculpting…what kind of craftsmanship is a simple snowball fight? There is zero pleasure in such a meaningless activity.)" Smorgo reasoned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I concur. …But do we really require parkas for our already temperature-resistant bodies?)" Smorga queried.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Instructions are the rules, I suppose…)"

With an actually opened clue now stuck to Smorga, the two Smorg rolled into the changing room.

**To & Too/Pungry & Pungent (Joke's End, Ice Balcony)**

"Okay…I think we're nearly done. There are just a few more chips around the base we need to get." To announced.

"Great! These parkas aren't exactly warm enough—I want out!" Too laughed. "You'd think they'd provide sufficient clothing…"

While the Toad sisters started to finish up around the feet of their sculpture, the Punis were still working on the top area of theirs.

"Geez…I never knew that ice could be so hard…but then again, I don't recall the last time I even saw snow…" Pungry said. "Oh, and before you say anything, Pungent, the flowers in the woods don't count, even though they have basically the same qualities…"

"Now that ya mention it, there're some similarities…but that ain't what I was gonna say." Pungent stated.

At that moment, Smorgo and Smorga rolled onto the balcony, dressed in almost perfectly round parkas.

"…Who knew that they'd actually get here?" Pungent remarked. "They're too stupid to even navigate themselves on a boat…ain't no way we're seein' this for real."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…That is quite discourteous and bad-mannered of him to say. What kind of uncouth individual would even think such a thing about our kind?)" Smorga muttered distastefully.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I'm afraid it is a modern case of jealousy and envy…after all, we are that great, are we not? Why, I bet we will even finish uncovering our sculpture before they do.)" Smorgo said confidently.

"…You know, sometimes I wish I knew what they were saying." Too murmured.

"Yeah, I do too. Wouldn't it be weird if we spoke in code like that and no one understood us either?" To pondered.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Joke's End, Ice Stairwell)**

"Urgh! Babe, can't you keep them from hitting me?!" Wife complained. "I can't keep spilling so much of this!"

"Well, soooorry! There's more of them than there are me!" Husband retorted.

"You know, the least you can do is shield me or something! I'm already shielding myself, you know!" Wife shouted.

Grumbling, Husband reluctantly moved into the line of fire and started taking some of the snowballs that were being thrown at his spouse while throwing some of his own.

"I don't have much more soup to go, babe—don't worry." Wife reassured as she continued spooning the broth to the Scaratroopea.

"Oh, I'm not worried that I'm being pelted with snowballs…" Husband rolled his eyes.

"It's not that the snowballs hurt or anything; the parkas we were wearing were large and bulky, so we didn't feel them too much. It was more of an annoyance—you get tired after being hit one after the other, right? Well, we both felt that way, and we just wanted to get out of there so badly." Husband commented.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Game Arcade)**

"No! Oh, please no! I don't want to be turned into a bean!" Beldam screeched, wriggling about as Queen's firm hand kept her seated.

Snickering slightly, the arcade owner brought out a tray containing two Invincishrooms. Immediately upon its placement on the table, Queen grabbed one and ate it without a second thought.

"…Well…if she turns into a bean, that's not exactly a bad thing…" Beldam laughed nervously, poking the remaining Invincishroom. It jiggled slightly. "This is disgusting! I can't do this…"

Queen stood up, grabbed the Invincishroom, and tried to force it into Beldam's mouth.

"ACK! WHAT'RE YOU DOING?! STOP!"

A hilarious scene ensued as Queen chased Beldam around the circular table, trying to get her to eat the Invincishroom.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Oho Ocean)**

"Okay…it looks like we're coming close." Hamma said, looking at the map. "I think that's Oho Oasis on the horizon over there."

"Hey, bro. It's Shim-Stress on the other horizon behind us!" Flare warned.

"Tch, they've been trailing us ever since we left Joke's End. Don't worry about it." Hamma shrugged it off.

Flare rolled his eyes as he watched the motorboat of Shimi and Waitress catch up even more.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Oho Ocean)**

"This ocean is so dead calm, it's sorta creepy…" Andy said softly.

"Prob'ly the presence of the stuff under the blue." King responded. "Wonder if that's where we're headed next."

"Maybe…I wouldn't be surprised if we had to go underwater sometime to do something…" Andy murmured thoughtfully, putting his finger to his chin as he looked into the water.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 5th (Joke's End, Welcoming Hall)**

"Thank you, sir." To stated gratefully, taking the clue envelope.

The Toad sisters skimmed over the Route Info in front of the ice sculpture they'd uncovered—it featured them in their 'Traveling Sisters' garb of denim jackets, skirts, and white shirts, standing with To holding a binocular to her face and Too reading a map.

"Okay, so we need to use the motorboat to get us to the Oho Oasis, wherever that is." To concluded.

"Let's get changed out of these parkas!" Too cheered.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Joke's End, Ice Stairwell)**

"I've got the map, dear! We can go get the clue now!" Wife informed.

"Finally!" Husband said exasperatedly.

Making faces at the crowd on the other staircase, the married couple headed back into Joke's End.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Little Fungitown Game Arcade)**

"EEK! QUEEN, STOP IT!"

Shrieking, Beldam struggled to get out of the hypnotized Queen's grip, but to no avail. Queen manually opened Beldam's mouth and shoved the Invincishroom inside, even forcing her to chew and swallow.

"…I'm going to turn into an ugly green bean…" Beldam whispered before starting to sob and hiccup hysterically. "I'M GOING TO BE GREEN FOR THE REST OF MY STUPID LIFE! WAAAAH-HIC!"

"WHOA, WHOA! Calm down, already!" The manager presented the envelope to Beldam. "That's not the same Invincishroom as on the walls! Relax!"

"…It's—hic—not?" Beldam asked disbelievingly.

"No, it isn't. Here. The posters were just meant to…um…intimidate. You did fine."

"Oh…" Beldam sighed. "You mean I—hic—got the hiccups over nothing?"

Queen opened the envelope impatiently and shoved the Fast Forward in front of Beldam's face.

"Okay, okay! Quit shaking it!" Beldam said crossly, snatching the Fast Forward. "'Congratulations on earning the Fast Forward. Now make your way to the S.S. Chuckola clearing near the ocean, and use a motorboat and the included map to get to the next pit stop, the Jellyfish Siter's Spa & Relaxation Resort, located in Gwarhar Lagoon.'"

_Having won the Fast Forward, Beldam and Queen may now proceed to the next pit stop, at the Jellyfish Sister's Spa & Relaxation Resort. This lavish health and leisure center, on the edge of the tropical Gwarhar Lagoon, is the next possible pit stop for this leg of the race._

"The S.S. Chuckola clearing…where's that…um…EEK! Queen, let go!"

Moving along as smoothly as a prototype robot, Queen dragged Beldam out of the arcade and into the marked car.

"…Well…it took them like two hours to play two one-minute games and eat a five-minute snack, but they're finally out of my hair…"

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 7th (Joke's End, Furnace)**

"There's actually fire in this weird place, and the ice isn't melting?" Husband voiced. "…This place is seriously supernatural or something."

"I could care less if it was supernatural." Wife commented. "Okay… 'Change out of the provided winter attire and return to your boats. Then, using the previously obtained map, direct yourselves to the Oho Oasis. Locate the Fire Temple, and search for clue envelopes hidden inside. Note: A select few of the envelopes contain the information you need.'"

"Man…we can't spend a few more minutes warming up near this fire?" Husband complained. Wife rolled her eyes.

**Pungry & Pungent/Smorgo & Smorga (Joke's End, Ice Balcony)**

"Don't get distracted by them, Pungent…we just need to work at our own pace." Pungry reminded, bringing Pungent's attention back to their task.

"Sorry, Pungry…but those there things're catchin' up somehow! They're just rammin' to no end, and they're keepin' pace without usin' any tools!" Pungent exclaimed dubiously.

"Well, don't think about trying it." Pungry advised.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Their blubbering is completely worthless in the grand scheme of things…it is clearly defined that we will easily catch up to and pass them.)" Smorgo mumbled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (True, but how long are we to stay so aware of what we must do?)" Smorga questioned. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (It is…inevitable…that we are to not remain like this.)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Why must we interrogate upon our newfound awareness? Do not embrace it; make use of it by doing good with our advantage.)"

-----

Sticking out as the only actual island in the ocean, the Oho Oasis' gleaming sandy beaches shone with the reflection of the sunlight, mirroring the same glimmers off the surrounding water. Very few organisms roamed about the tropical sands and stone—save for the occasional crab, the sole race of the isle was a strange one. Each being was a somewhat round bipedal creature, colored red or blue. Most simply wandered around in random patterns aimlessly, while others stared at items of interest for hours at a time. Still others took refuge from the outside world inside the two temples of the island, made of a tan-colored stone.

**Shimi & Waitress/Hamma & Flare (Oho Oasis Beach)**

After desperately racing to the island in hopes of taking the lead, the two teams hopped out of their motorboats and took off for the temples

"Which temple do we need to look in?" Waitress asked her partner.

"The Fire Temple! I think it's that one—there's a flame bow sitting on the door!" Shimi pointed.

While Shimi and Waitress headed up the stairs into one temple, Hamma and Flare headed into the other.

"Heh, suckers…dunno where they're going." Flare snickered.

The brothers unknowingly entered the Thunder Temple, where they proceeded to check the cracks in the walls for envelopes.

"There's something wrong here…there aren't any clues anywhere!" Hamma observed.

"Maybe it's in that room!" Flare pointed.

Rushing down the hallway, the brothers went into the sacred part of the temple with the large lightning orb. Not taking much note of their surroundings, the two continued their fruitless search in the walls, checking each crevasse, nook, and cranny.

"Strange you look. Foreign are you? I never see thing like you before." A blue Oho Jee chirped, startling the brothers.

"What the…"

Hamma and Flare looked at each other and then looked at the Oho Jee before dashing back out.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Oho Oasis, Fire Temple)**

"'Sorry, try again.'" Shimi read. "I wonder how many of these clues are actually real…the fake ones aren't exactly good clues."

"…Very true." Waitress nodded. "Okay, here's another… 'Sorry, try again.' Great."

At that moment, Hamma and Flare rushed into the Fire Temple and joined in the search for envelopes.

"Hopefully this fifth one has what we need…" Waitress muttered. "…Or maybe not."

"Got one!" Hamma exclaimed, pulling an envelope from a small crack. "…'Sorry, try again.' What kind of clue is that?"

"…Well, I got the clue long ago that you're an idiot…this just confirms it." Flare sneered. Hamma gave him a warning look.

For a strangely quiet period of time, the two teams searched amongst the walls of the temple, ignoring the red Oho Jees wandering about, who in turn, kept about their business.

"Yeah! I found one with data inside!" Waitress exclaimed, ushering Shimi over.

"What does it speak?" Shimi asked excitedly.

"'Pilot your motorboats west from the Oho Oasis to the Surfing Game Twin Islets.'" Waitress read quietly. "'Locate your next clue on the northernmost island.'"

_Teams need to drive their motorboats 2 miles to this set of two islands, known as the Surfing Game Twin Islets. They will locate their next clue on the northernmost island._

"Great! Let's go!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga/Pungry & Pungent (Joke's End, Ice Balcony)**

Still hard at work, the two short teams furiously toiled to clear their sculptures of the surrounding ice. For Pungry and Pungent, it was a losing battle—even though they'd arrived long before the Smorg, somehow, their rivals' methods were paying off much better than the old-fashioned ice pick.

"I can't dern believe this…someone musta poured ice water on our block or somethin'…this just ain't right that we're behind!" Pungent erupted. "This is rigged!"

Knowing better than to try and interrupt his friend's venting, Pungry kept quiet and continued working.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (My…apparently, a racer lacks control and has a great fuse. Quite an interesting specimen to watch…)" Smorgo remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Indeed. But as to why anyone would make this competition unfair is lost by me…I fear it is just their own lack of natural strength.)" Smorga commented.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Oho Oasis Beach)**

Upon stepping onto the beach, Andy accidentally stepped on the back of a hermit crab, causing it to retreat into its shell. He didn't seem to notice.

"It looks like there are two buildings up ahead…which one are we heading into?" Andy queried.

"Says here we're goin' into the Fire Temple. See any difference between 'em?"

"Um…I think there are some emblems above the entrances. Come on, let's go check."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 3rd (Oho Oasis, Fire Temple)**

"'Bout time we found one!" Flare whooped. "Hurry up and read it!"

"Alright, alright!" Hamma said. "'Pilot your motorboats west from the Oho Oasis to the Surfing Game Twin Islets. Locate your next clue on the northernmost island.'"

As the Hammer and Fire Brothers hurried out of the Fire Temple, they wordlessly passed by the entering minor leaguers, who set to work in the tedious task of finding an envelope containing Route Info.

"Looks like they've already opened quite a few…" Andy observed, noting the envelope scraps on the floor. "That increases our odds of getting one quickly."

"Sounds good, yo. Let's get to it!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Teehee Valley, Ocean Clearing)**

"…Okay, this is getting creepy." Beldam mumbled. "You haven't said anything ever since you were hypnotized, and now you're totally doing all the work? What is going on?!"

The Shadow Queen didn't answer; she continued to steer the motorboat away from the shoreline until it was safely in the open sea.

"…Queen, answer me already!" Beldam shouted, frantically snapping her fingers in front of Queen's face several times.

"…"

"ARGH! SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY AND QUIT FREAKING ME OUT!"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 4th (Oho Oasis, Fire Temple)**

"That was a bit too easy for my liking…oh well." Andy shrugged it off as he opened the envelope.

"Why you toss strange-colored thing on ground carelessly?" a red Oho Jee asked curiously. "I never see weird thing before."

"…Evidently, this is the untouched civilization that's nonexistent, dawg." King rolled his eyes as the Oho Jee inspected the scrap of paper.

"Really weird, yeah…" Andy trailed off. "You know, I've heard that once, a group of explorers and scientists found this island. They named its inhabitants and were able to research them, but eventually turned into one of the…um…well, those."

"…Dude, your eerie stuff's gettin' me spooked. Can we just get outta here?"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Oho Oasis Beach)**

"Okay…so we head to the Fire Temple next…" Toadsworth muttered. "Is it that one? I cannot tell from here…"

"I'm just as clueless." Zess quipped. "…What's with all these waddling balls of colored tofu?"

"'Tofu?' What is this word you speak of? What does mean to 'waddle' or 'color?'" asked a nearby blue Oho Jee.

"…"

Edging away nervously, the aged pair quickly hurried off randomly to one of the buildings. Luckily, they went inside the Fire Temple.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Oho Ocean)**

"Uh…let's see…well, if we were to get lost, I don't know if we'd ever find our way back, since there's hardly anything except rock formations and water out here." To remarked.

"Oh. I don't think I'd like to see that happen…" Too murmured. "Hey, there's another island over there!"

Waving cutely as their boat passed by, the two Toad sisters winked to the bowtie-wearing mole on the small land mass.

"No, wait! Take me with you! I'll give you a reward if you talk to me! I'M STARVING HERE!"

Staring at the yellow pipe from which he'd entered the island through, the mole shivered at the thought of having to go back underwater. He then quivered at the fact that there was water all around him. He then started crying because of the distinct and familiar hopelessness of his precarious situation.

"I HATE MY—"

**Husband & Wife: Married (Oho Ocean)**

"—WIFE! What is wrong with you?! You can't even read the map and we're already lost!" Husband yelled.

"You don't know that! We could be perfectly on track as far as we know! Why, I bet we're on course for making the Oho Oasis at any minute." Wife sniffed.

"Oh, please. I bet some weird alien Goomba would pop out of the water before we'd ever reach the island using YOUR directions…"

At that moment, a Goomdiver surfaced, its helmeted head poking above the waves. Almost immediately, the motorboat rammed into it, causing the boat to bounce into the air before landing back down with a 'kersploosh!'

"Well, even if my directions weren't all good, we'd die first because of your insane driving!" Wife complained.

The motorboat of Husband and Wife zoomed off, leaving the Goomdiver sitting there, blinking.

"…Owie." The Goomdiver flailed around a bit before managing to begin another successful descent to the bottom of the ocean.

-----

Other than being the starting and stopping points for one of the most challenging games in the Oho Ocean, the Surfing Game Twin Islets were nothing more than two mere islands located next to each other. There weren't very many overwhelmingly interesting details about them, save the surfboard racks and surfboards, along with a strange imprint in the ground on the northernmost island.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 2nd (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Look at those weird balloons floating above the water…I wonder if they're involved in the next task." Waitress said inquisitively.

Right away, the duo spotted the clue box.

"Roadblock." Shimi announced. "Who is ready to stride on the graves?"

"…Um…that's 'Who is ready to ride on the waves?'" Waitress corrected, giggling.

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock, that team member will have to take part in a popular challenge in the Oho Ocean; the Surfing Game. After picking an automatic surfboard, the person will be allowed to surf out into the course and attempt to pop the 23 Oho Balloons floating above the surface. If the team member can finish within one minute, the accepted amateur time, they'll receive their next clue. However, if they fail to finish within sixty seconds, or if they miss even one Oho Balloon, they will need to redo, or go to the back of the line, if any._

"Guess whose turn it is?" Waitress called in a singsong voice.

"…D'oh…" Shimi groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Oh, come on…you're a Cheep-Cheep; you were made for water!" Waitreess encouraged.

"Alright…" Shimi sighed.

"'Pick one of the automatic surfboards and surf out onto the course. Pop all 23 Oho Balloons hanging above the water in one minute or less to receive your next clue.'" Waitress read. "Have fun!"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 5th (Oho Oasis, Fire Temple)**

"Surfing Game Twin Islets. Now that's a place I've heard of from Master Mario and Master Luigi…hopefully it is not too far from here." Toadsworth remarked.

"I think I remember it being…"

Zess trailed off as her partner started back outside.

"…Oh…"

Fighting back tears, the chef quickly put a bounce in her step to catch up.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Okay…here I go…" Shimi gulped.

When Shimi pushed his surfboard off the island, a small timer attached to the underside started running.

"Come on, Shimi…you can do this…" Waitress murmured. She looked over anxiously as another motorboat arrived.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 3rd (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

Stepping out of their boat, the brothers watched with interest as Shimi made his surfboard jump to hit one of the Oho Balloons. Immediately after, his second jump was too late, causing him to miss one.

"Looks like one of us is going surfing…" Hamma observed. "Roadblock… 'Who is ready to ride on the waves?'"

"I guess it's me doing this…" Flare smirked. "Do I have to pop those balloons or something?"

"…Yup. Looks like it." Hamma nodded, handing Flare the Roadblock information.

"…Hah. This'll be a piece of cake."

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 4th (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"One of us is hittin' the waves, dawg? That's like, totally me." King declared, opening the Roadblock envelope.

"You sure, King? I mean, you've never surfed before and I have…" Andy reasoned quietly. "Besides, look over there…"

Hamma couldn't stop himself from falling over onto the beach and laughing like a hyena as Flare's attempted jump into the air caused him to flip and crash into the water.

"…Hey…I can handle it, yo." King shrugged. "'Sides, might get some beginner's luck."

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 8th (Joke's End, Welcoming Hall)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Finally…after much chiseling and torture in ramming the shards off of this piece of artwork, we are done.)" Smorgo sighed pleasantly.

Somehow, a glint of satisfaction could be seen in the eyes of the two Smorg as they gazed at their ice sculpture. It was pretty simplistic in nature—Smorgo was stacked on top of Smorga like a totem pole, with the two looking in opposite directions. Around them, on the platform they were carved to be standing on, were several piles of random debris and residue that had no doubt added much more work into breaking all of the ice.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Now to rid ourselves of these awfully annoying parkas. I bet that if we had ditched them in the first place, we would have had more force in brushing away the extra ice.)" Smorga muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Do not look now…but behind us…)"

In almost a flash, the two Smorg had disappeared to get changed.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Joke's End, Welcoming Hall)**

"They finished before us, and now they're gone…whoa!"

A surprised Pungry and Pungent nearly dropped their light statue as the Smorg zipped out from the changing room in a rush down the hall.

"Crap!" Pungent growled. "They ain't gettin' away!"

"Thank you!" Pungry said hastily to the Clumph after obtaining the envelope.

After heading into the changing room, the Punis were out in an almost record time comparable to the Smorg.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Oho Ocean)**

"Almost there…Gwarhar Lagoon is in the distance…" Beldam muttered. "Soon we'll be able to rest easy…"

At that thought, Beldam nearly shook the steering wheel as if it would make the boat go faster. Queen just sat there, mechanically blinking and breathing.

"AND WE MIGHT WIN OUR FIRST LEG!"

-----

**Shimi (Surfing Game Course)**

Turning sharply, Shimi waited a few seconds before jumping to hit the next balloon. One more leap on the surfboard popped the next balloon before the Cheep-Cheep once again turned.

"…What are those in the water…" Shimi gasped, noticing several strange barrels floating around in the stretch immediately in front of him. Startled, he ended up missing several balloons before accidentally ramming into one that exploded, causing his board to fly into the air!

**Waitress/Hamma & Flare/Andy & King/Zess & Toadsworth (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Oh my gosh! Is he alright!" Waitress shrieked.

"The barrel's fuse blew on contact…but all it did was send him straight up into the air…" Andy observed. "Looks like a gimmick just to take up time and wrack the minds of any surfers…"

"So far, looks like it's worked…" King sighed. "He's gotten the farthest, dawg—no overlookin' that."

As Shimi eventually made his way to the finish island, Flare set out once more on his surfboard.

"You better not fall flat on your face in the water again this time!" Hamma called out.

"Shut up!"

While the others grouped together intently to watch Flare, Zess and Toadsworth anxiously stood, waiting for Toadsworth's turn.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 6th (Oho Oasis, Fire Temple)**

"I have a bad feeling that we're behind pretty much everyone…" To remarked, giving the scraps of paper scattered all over the floor an accusing look.

"Maybe we'll catch up at these islands." Too said optimistically. "Let's go!"

-----

The first motorboat came to an eventual stop at the edge of the sandy beaches of Gwarhar Lagoon.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Gwarhar Lagoon)**

"Jellyfish Sister's Spa and Relaxation Resort…where is it…" Beldam muttered. "Queen, help me!"

After quickly skimming one of the infamously unlabeled maps on the rocky walls of the tropical area, Queen's left hand raised to point down one of the stretches.

"…It's not like I have anything to lose…" Beldam mumbled.

-----

**Toadsworth (Surfing Game Course)**

"Oh, fiddlesticks!" Toadsworth cried out as one of his jumps missed a set of balloons in the first half of the course.

**Shimi & Waitress/Hamma & Flare/Andy & King/Zess (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"No one has even popped them all yet…I'm starting to think that maybe we should take the penalty and head to the pit stop." Waitress muttered.

"Really, no, I can do it! Just you wait and see!" Shimi cut in, setting off on his surfboard.

"Even if we did quit, would four hours of waiting really pay off? Maybe within those four hours, everyone would get the hang of it, and we'd…" Zess trailed off.

"Right…" Waitress sighed.

As the girls lamented over their options, the guys somewhat glowered at each other.

"Man, we gotta finish first!" Hamma clenched his fist.

"We're not exactly enemies with King K. and Andy…it's just that this is a competition. When there's a competition, it's a goal to finish first! Especially when you're in some kind of impossible situation, like that surf thing, you just have to be psyched, or else you'll never make it." Flare remarked.

-----

Whispering to each other softly, the Jellyfish Sisters Gigi and Merri shifted around uneasily as they waited beside Miles on the pit stop mat, which was laid out in front of the entrance to their spa, which had recently received an expansion to include a resort—evident by the apparent debris littered conspicuously about the sand.

Miles, who looked more than a little bit sleepy, immediately noticed that a strange aura had entered the area. The connection seemed to spread to the sisters, who both stopped squirming and listened.

"COME ON, HURRY! I'M DYING FOR A MANICURE!"

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Needless to say, Miles was a bit alarmed—he'd been informed that Queen was hypnotized, but no one had been prepared in the event of it wearing off.

"Queen, slow down!" Beldam shrieked, struggling to free herself from Queen's grasp while making it to the pit stop at the same time.

"PREPARE YOURSELVES, LADIES! I'M PAYING DOUBLE FOR A MANICURE, PEDICURE, FACIAL TREATMENT, AND EXTRA PAMPERING, AND I'M NOT PAYING AT ALL!" Queen yelled.

Seconds after the shadows emerged from the underbrush, they managed to halt on top of the mat, directly in front of a nervous Gigi and Merri, and a surprised Miles.

"…Welcome t-to Gwarhar Lagoon…" Gigi murmured.

"…Y-Yeah! Wh-What she said!" Merri agreed.

Queen rolled her eyes.

"Beldam and Queen." Miles stepped back. "You're team number one."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 1st Place, 2:43 P.M.**

"…O-One?!" Beldam gaped. "Y-YES! We did it, Queen! We got first!"

"I know!" Queen babbled.

In slow motion, Beldam extravagantly raised her arms into the air as she prepared to give Queen the biggest hug she could muster. Queen did the exact same thing, and the two started moving closer to each other…until Queen dodged, clasping her hands together as she started talking to the Jellyfish Sisters, causing Beldam to fall flat on her face.

"Oof!"

"Iwantmynailstobedoneinpurple,mytoenailswhichIdon'tevenhavebutIdon'treallycareinpurple,andmyfacialtohavepurplewithaslighthintofpurpleinit! It'llbeasplendidsplendidarrayofpurplehighlightsonmybeautifulskin!"

Gigi and Merri, not knowing what to do, could only sit there and nod dumbly as Queen continued on and on.

"Um…just to let you know…" Miles leaned over to whisper in Beldam's ear, "As the winners of this fifth leg of the race, you two have both won an all-expense paid one-week trip aboard Delfino Cruiselines' state-of-the-art Dolphin Glider, which will take you around Isle Delfino and its surrounding sister islands. You can enjoy that after the race."

"…Thanks…" Beldam remarked dryly. "…Thanks…a lot."

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 7th (Oho Oasis, Fire Temple)**

"Surfing Game Twin Islets…I can bet our whole shop that there's a Roadblock there." Husband murmured.

"Really…well, who would do it, then?" Wife teased.

"I don't know…by the name, if there was a Roadblock, someone is surfing…" Husband reasoned.

"In that case, it'd be you."

-----

**Pungry & Pungent/Smorgo & Smorga (Oho Ocean)**

"Come on, speed it up! They're starting to gain!" Pungry cried out.

"I'm tryin', Pungry! This thing ain't goin' no faster!" Pungent yelled.

After having gained a momentary lead over the Smorg, the two last-place teams were battling it out in a motorboat race to the Oho Oasis.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This furious battle is not looking good…the odds are against us. And to think, you accumulated ourselves a penalty early in the leg?)" Smorgo sighed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (On the contrary, my dear, it is not my fault. After all, who am I to control what is uncontrolled when I am not myself?)" Smorga chided.

Dumbfounded, the Punis stared as they were passed yet again by the Smorg.

"STOP THEM!"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 6th (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Roadblock. 'Who is ready to ride on the waves?'" Too read. "Ooh, it's my turn! Yay; I get to surf!"

"Aww…I wish I could've surfed…" To sighed. "Oh well."

As her sister headed over to get a surfboard, To turned her attention toward the other team members.

**King (Surfing Game Course)**

"Yeow!"

Yelling, the KP Koopa ended up falling backwards into the water as a result of the explosive barrel he'd hit.

"Dang! And I got all the other Oho Balloons preceding it, too…" King K. muttered, gritting his teeth and spitting out seawater.

**Toadsworth (Surfing Game Course)**

"Oh, for mushroom's sake!" Toadsworth covered his face in shame as he steered back towards Finish Island, having missed the first jump.

**Shimi (Surfing Game Course)**

"Darn!" Shimi moaned as he passed by one of the Oho Balloons without touching it.

**Flare (Surfing Game Course)**

As Flare toppled over into the water, the resounding, mocking laughter of Hamma could be heard.

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 8th (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"I was right, after all…so, I'm going it?" Husband asked anxiously.

"Yes, dear. After all…just look at that; we've caught up to everyone! This is your big chance to land us in first!" Wife encouraged.

"Yeah, I guess so…"

-----

**Pungry & Pungent/Smorgo & Smorga- Currently in 8th & Last (Oho Oasis, Fire Temple)**

Not missing a beat, the two teams had immediately jumped out of their boats, rushed into the temple, and almost simultaneously, had located clues with information inside.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Surfing Game…looks like one last challenge before everyone goes to the pit stop.)" Smorga remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Yup. Well, let us hope that it'll be challenging…I do not want to waste my time on something simple.)" Smorgo said.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Who said you get to do it?)"

"Quick; while they're squabbling, we can beat 'em to the islands!"

"Howdya know they're squabblin'?"

"I don't!"

The Punis rushed back out of the temple with the Smorg in hot pursuit.

"What this strange black thing? It shoot gun?" An Oho Jee asked, suddenly startling the filming crew in charge of the oasis.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress/Hamma & Flare/Andy & King/Zess & Toadsworth/To & Too/Wife (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Man…everyone's already been here for a long while now…and no one's managed to pop them all…" Hamma groaned. "We're going to be here ALL night…"

"Shut up! I'll complete this stupid course sooner or later! Just you wait!" Flare quipped.

As the brothers leapt into another argument, the rest of the teams sighed. Everyone was anxious about the concept of a large number of teams competing to get to the pit stop, especially because of the fact that two motorboats were speeding for the islands.

"I can't believe this…even the Smorg caught up somehow…" Zess stated.

"Not to mention the Punis…" To added.

**Husband (Surfing Game Course)**

Unfortunately, the roaring of the two motorboats distracted Husband so much, he ended up spilling.

"Bleck!" Husband spat out some of the water. "Urgh…"

**Pungry & Pungent/Smorgo & Smorga- Currently in 8th & Last (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Jumpin' Jabbis! Am I seein' what I think I'm seein'…or did we CATCH UP?!" Pungent questioned, grinning.

"I think so!" Pungry answered excitedly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (What a surprise…guess this one really held everyone up for us. How quaint. We need to finish quickly to override that penalty.)" Smorga reminded.

"SMORGSMORG (No problem.)"

The other teams watched unhappily as the two back-pack teams opened the last envelopes.

"Roadblock…" Pungry read.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG ('Who is ready to ride the waves?')" Smorgo read. "SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (My turn…let me show them all what I have got!)"

"I have no idea who should do this…" Pungry mumbled.

"Lemme handle it, Pungry. Always wanted to try out surfin'…" Pungent smirked.

Due to his team's hesitation, Pungent ended up taking a spot in line behind Smorgo, who was sitting completely still.

**Shimi (Surfing Game Course)**

"Aargh!" Shimi looked on helplessly as too sharp of a turn caused him to miss an Oho Balloon.

**Flare (Surfing Game Course)**

After making an attempt to 'hang ten,' Flare fell over and off of his surfboard.

"Ow…belly buster…even with a shell…" Flare gritted his teeth as Hamma laughed in the distance. "SHUT UP!"

**King (Surfing Game Course)**

"Crap!"

**Toadsworth (Surfing Game Course)**

"Fiddlesticks!"

**Too (Surfing Game Course)**

"Oops!"

**Husband (Surfing Game Course)**

"Dangit!"

**Shimi & Waitress/Hamma & Flare/Andy & King/Zess & Toadsworth/To & Too/Husband & Wife/Smorga/Pungry & Pungent (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"At this rate, no one'll finish…" Husband complained, riding up to Start Island on his surfboard. "…Hey, what's everybody looking at?"

Wife beckoned Husband over to the edge of the island, where everyone was grouped together.

**Smorgo (Surfing Game Course)**

Making the surfing task look easy on his/her/its first try, Smorgo effortlessly leaped to hit several Oho Balloons with one jump. He/she/it masterfully curved around a turn, hit the Oho Balloons on that stretch, and then eased into the next turn. When faced with the explosive barrels, Smorgo timed his/her/its jumps carefully to pop the Oho Balloons without hitting any of the wooden containers.

**Shimi & Waitress/Hamma & Flare/Andy & King/Zess & Toadsworth/To & Too/Husband & Wife/Smorga/Pungry & Pungent (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Is that…THING…actually going to make it on its first try?!" Andy asked in disbelief.

"I swear, this is some kind of messed-up fluke!" Flare roared.

"Wow…I never even knew that something without legs could do that…" Zess murmured.

"Indeed." Toadsworth said coldly, turning away from Zess' touch.

"SMORGSMORGSMROGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…How insulting…)" Smorga muttered.

**Smorgo (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Finish Island)**

Sitting atop the middle of the surfboard like nothing had happened, Smorgo just blinked as his/her/its ride went on top of the sand.

"Forty-five seconds…good, good, much so." The tropical Oho Jee grinned. "Good job did. Here."

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (…And THAT is how you ride a surfboard, people.)" Smorgo sneered, taking the envelope. He/she/it then rode the surfboard back to Start Island.

**Pungent (Surfing Game Course)**

"OH, SHOOT!" Pungent shouted as his jump failed, and he fell into the water.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 2nd (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG ('Make your way to the next possible pit stop, at the Jellyfish Sister's Spa and Relaxation Resort in Gwarhar Lagoon. Warning: the last team to check in here may be eliminated.')" Smorgo read.

_Teams must now make their way 5 miles to this place: Gwarhar Lagoon, a tropical seaside beach segregated from the countryside plains of the Beanbean Kingdom by the mystical, cleansing waters of the Oho Ocean. They must then locate the Jellyfish Sister's Spa & Relaxation Resort. This remarkably small, yet famous and successful resort and spa, which received several expanding and growing efforts during the course of its career, is the possible pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here may be eliminated._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It is great that they can not understand us. Come on, let us hurry so we can get rid of that penalty.)" Smorga urged.

Knowing very well that if all of the other teams could potentially arrive within their penalty period at the pit stop, the Smorg quickly hopped back into their motorboat, and zoomed off, Smorgo at the wheel.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 3rd (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Yes! Awesome job, Shimi!" Waitress cheered. "You did it!"

"Yup, I know! Don't know how I did, but I done it!" Shimi grinned, handing over the envelope.

"…The pit stop might be at a spa and relaxation resort?! Awesome!" Waitress exclaimed. "Let's go!"

Elated that they hadn't fallen too far behind in terms of place, the train employees jumped into their motorboat. Waitress picked up the map and let Shimi steer.

**Flare (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Finish Island)**

"One minute and one second?! You've gotta be kiddin' me!" Flare yelled angrily at the Oho Jee.

"Loud noise hurt ears. You stop now." The Oho Jee said crossly. "Make time or no clue."

"GRAH!" Flare kicked at the sand. "…Well, at least I popped all 23 Oho Balloons…SHUT UP!"

Hamma kept on laughing until his hotheaded brother sped back to Start Island, at which point he fled.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 4th (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Awesome!" Andy patted his partner's shoulder. "By the way things were going, I didn't think we'd ever get outta here!"

"Well…seein' two discuses actually ahead sorta…fueled me, dawg. Worked, right?" King asked.

"Evidently, yeah!"

"Icy chill."

Bandy Andy and King K. hurried back to their motorboat and got in. King quickly steered the motorboat in the direction of Gwarhar Lagoon.

-----

As Miles and the Jellyfish Sisters waited for the next team, they busied themselves by listening to Queen's insane ranting about beauty, which hadn't stopped ever since she'd arrived with Beldam at the pit stop.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

"…What the…you've gotta be kidding me…" Miles gaped as he realized that the two black things tumbling down the path were actually on a team.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Let's just hope that everyone else has trouble back at the Roadblock…)" Smorga muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Yes…but I am sure that the penalty will expire before then.)" Smorgo reassured.

"Welcome to Gwarhar Lagoon." Gigi and Merri chimed in unison.

"…Smorgo and Smorga…" Miles blinked disbelievingly. "…You are…the second team to arrive."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Get on with it…we already know we have a penalty.)" Smorga rolled his/her/its eyes.

"However…because you took a duplicate clue, I'm afraid you'll have to wait out a thirty minute penalty before I can check you in." Miles motioned towards a sandy rock. "…Um…could you wait over there, please?"

To the surprise of the Yoshi, the Smorg complied.

"…I think I need a vacation from this race…" Miles shook his head. "This sun must be messing with me…"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 5th (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"YAY!" To gave Too a high-five as she swam up on her surfboard.

"I can't believe I actually did that!" Too exclaimed, opening the envelope given to her by the Oho Jee on Finish Island. "'Make your way to the next possible pit stop, at the Jellyfish Sister's Spa and Relaxation Resort in Gwarhar Lagoon. Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated.'"

"We're going to…" To gasped.

"Oh my gosh!"

Cheering happily, the sisters quickly got into their motorboat.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Both staff members were surprised to see Smorgo and Smorga waiting on the rock. Not wanting to take any chances, they both eagerly hopped onto the mat.

"Welcome to Gwarhar Lagoon!"

"Thanks!"

"Shimi and Waitress." Miles briefly looked over at the Smorg. "You're…team number two."

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 2nd Place, 5:16 P.M.**

"Second? That's odd…I wonder who was here first, then." Waitress said.

"YOU CALL THAT A PERFECT MANICURE?! LIKE, OH MY GOSH IT IS PERFECT AND ALL!"

"…Does that answer?" Shimi sweatdropped.

-----

**Hamma & Flare/Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife/Pungry (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"This is getting really annoying…I have to sit here and watch you surf, messing up all the while." Wife shook her head. "It's embarrassing…"

"You know what? Maybe you should've done it, then! Maybe you should be the one messing up out there!" Husband said, aggravated. "Besides…not like a girl like you can surf…"

"Sure, but then how come Too finished before you?" Wife sassed, causing Husband to turn redder.

"Toadsworth, can you PLEASE make it on this next turn so we can get out of here?" Zess pleaded.

"I'll try…" Toadsworth replied, not looking at her.

"Least we're not alone back here…I'll change that on the next run." Flare stated.

"Tch…you better."

**Pungent (Surfing Game Course)**

"ACK!" Pungent flailed as his shifted weight toppled over his surfboard.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Instead of greeting the two minor league fighters, the Jellyfish Sisters faked swooning, giggled, and straightened out.

"…Okay…" Andy rolled his eyes.

"Andy and King." Miles paused to look them both in the eyes. "You're team number three."

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 3rd Place, 5:24 P.M.**

"Third…that's a-ok! Back in front!" King applauded.

"Heh, let's stay that way!" Andy whooped.

**To & Too: Sisters (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

"Welcome to Gwarhar Lagoon!" Gigi and Merri chirped.

"Thanks!"

"It's nice to be here!"

"To and Too." Miles articulated. "You're team number four."

**To & Too: Sisters- 4th Place, 5:33 P.M.**

"Great! As long as we're still in it—"

"—we're going to win it!"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 6th (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Urgh! It's about time you finally finished!" Hamma sighed, getting up to rendezvous with his brother.

"Oh, shut up." Flare opened the envelope.

The two casually looked at the Route Information inside before heading back to their motorboat.

"Well, it's been fun! See ya suckahs at the pit stop!" Hamma laughed.

"Yeah, cuz one's gonna be eliminated!" Flare reminded jokingly.

As the boat of the brothers took off, the three remaining teams looked at each other nervously.

"Oh, I hope it won't be one of us…" Wife whispered.

"Yeah…" Zess put her hand on Wife's shoulder.

"Those guys should be called the Hambros…they act like such hams, being all big and stuff like that!" Pungry muttered under his breath.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (By my estimates, the penalty should be running out right about…now.)" Smorgo proclaimed.

"If you two could please come over here…" Miles beckoned.

It was clear that Miles was more than a bit startled when the Smorg rolled onto the mat.

"…Whoa…um… Smorgo and Smorga. You are team number five."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 5th Place, 5:40 P.M.**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It might be a while before someone is actually able to decipher that we are no longer…beasts…at least for the time being.)" Smorga sighed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Yeah…even Miles has not figured it out yet. But if there is someone that can…it would be Blaise. Maybe if we are still like this and make it through the next leg, he would be able to tell.)" Smorgo murmured.

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 7th (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Oh, thank goodness!" Wife cheered as Husband came over to her, holding an envelope.

"Didn't think I'd finish, did you?" Husband smirked.

"Whatever! Just open it, babe!"

After quickly skimming the Route Info, the Twilighters went and hopped into their motorboat.

"Good luck, Zess! Good luck, Toadsworth! We wanna see you during the break, okay?!" Wife called out as the boat sped off.

Zess sighed as she looked over at Pungry, who managed to avert his own eyes.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

"I think they have it out for us…that's two pairs of cute guys in one day!" Merri whispered excitedly to Gigi.

"Like, totally! I can't decide which ones are better!" Gigi whispered back.

"…" Dumbfounded, Hamma and Flare stared at the two sisters in disbelief before looking away.

"I hope they're not implying that it's actually hard to tell who's better between me and those minor leaguers…" Flare said, turning away as a wave of red started to come over his face. Hamma snickered.

"Hamma and Flare." Miles said, trying to stifle a laugh. "You're team number six."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 6th Place, 5:58 P.M.**

"Whoa…sixth? We dropped again…" Flare sighed.

"That's only because you can't surf, genius! If I'd done it, we woulda been here hours ago!"

"Yeah, right! You couldn't even get on a surfboard if you tried!"

-----

**Toadsworth (Surfing Game Course)**

"Walnuts and almonds…" Toadsworth groaned. "If only I were younger…if only…"

A disappointed Toadsworth steered his surfboard toward Finish Island.

**Pungent (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Finish Island)**

"I almost had it that time!" Pungent cried. "Just missed a few Balloons…"

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Panting heavily from the run through the tropical beach and their adrenaline rush, the married Twilighters stepped onto the mat.

"Welcome to Gwarhar Lagoon!" Gigi and Merri sang.

"…If it was Blaise greeting, you two would be so totally fried…" Miles grimaced, shaking his head.

"…Um…thank you?" Wife said questioningly.

"Husband and Wife." Miles pulled himself together. "You're team number seven."

**Husband & Wife: Married- 7th Place, 6:09 P.M.**

"Oh, dear…this has been the toughest leg by far…" Wife moaned, collapsing onto the mat.

"No kidding…" Husband chuckled.

"We both thought just merely running a shop was hard…you gotta deal with customers, money, and all sorts of stupidity. But never, and I mean never, would we have thought that running a race like this would've been as hard as running a shop. Because…well, it is." Husband shrugged.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Currently in 8th (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"We're still in it!" Pungry cheered as Pungent put up the surfboard and brought over the clue envelope.

"You got that there right!" Pungent opened the clue to peer at the Route Info. "…The next pit stop! We gotta hurry!"

As the Punis jumped into their motorboat and sped off, Zess watched her beloved Toadsworth on the course. However, her hope disappeared when he missed an Oho Balloon.

**Toadsworth (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Finish Island)**

"I will get it this time…I have to!" Toadsworth murmured.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Oho Ocean)**

"There! I can see the lagoon! We're gonna make it!" Pungent exclaimed.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in Last (Surfing Game Twin Islets, Start Island)**

"Leaving last…I cannot believe this…and to think, we were doing so well!" Zess sighed.

"Stop that this instant." Toadsworth stated, causing Zess to gasp. "We're not out just yet. The Punis have a tendency to get lost."

"I guess we'll just have to get lucky…"

-----

**Team ? (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Awaiting anxiously for the last two teams, Miles strained his head to look around the trees. Looking at each other worriedly, Gigi and Merri quietly whispered to each other something about 'hot guys' and 'poor racers.'

"This is it, girls…I can hear them coming." Miles narrowed his eyes and straightened out.

Within seconds, a team emerged from the sandy trail. Although the two members looked very tired and pretty worried, they enthusiastically jumped onto the mat.

"Welcome to Gwarhar Lagoon." Gigi and Merri smiled warmly.

"Thanks."

Waiting patiently, the team turned towards Miles as he inhaled and exhaled.

"…Zess and Toadsworth." Miles paused. "You…are team number eight."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 8th Place, 6:24 P.M.**

"Oh…" Zess breathed a large sigh of relief. "That is the closest we've ever come…I thought for sure we were done…"

"What'd I tell you? If we'd given up, we would've never taken advantage of them misreading one of the rock wall maps." Toadsworth muttered, walking away.

Miles looked at Zess questioningly, but she answered with a quiet "Excuse me." She quickly hurried off after the Toad.

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Having realized what place they were in, the Punis moved at a brisk, yet somewhat relaxed pace as they headed towards the mat.

"Welcome to Gwarhar Lagoon." The Jellyfish Sisters greeted.

"Pungry and Pungent." Miles nodded sadly. "You're the last team to arrive."

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- Last Place, 6:31 P.M.**

"Yeah…we kinda figured that after we got so excited about being safe…we ended up being a bit too hasty…" Pungry said, the hint of an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Yep…killed ourselves with that lil' mistake." Pungent agreed.

"I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Miles confirmed.

For a moment, the two Punis looked at each other, searching for the right words to say.

"It's…it's alright. We took ninth place after all…what's not to be proud of?" Pungry stated.

"Sure, it stinks having to be the fourth team eliminated…it was only a few legs, and we grew so attached to the race so fast…" Pungry shook his head. "It's amazing. We learned so much about not just the world and its places, but also about each other. That's what is most important to me."

"Leg after leg, we hung in there…just tryin' to stay a bit ahead of last to save our hinds…" Pungent smirked. "Guess ya could say that we didn't exactly aim for the top, but more for just ahead of the bottom… Regardless, this is a treasured experience that I'll always remember. It ain't every day ya get to race around the world with yer best friend, ya know? I was surprised time after time at not only what we could do, but what I could…it's all cuz-a Pungry that I know that now."

"It feels really good to know that we accomplished so much…after all, we were basically the established underdogs, and we didn't do too shabby. I'm sure that if we, the small Punis, were able to do the impossible, others like us will be able to do it, too."

With tears running freely down Pungry's cheeks and Pungent trying to act tough, the two Punis exchanged their goodbyes with Miles and the two greeters. After a period of no activity, they then turned around and headed back through the sandy path lined with trees, and in no time, were laughing once more with one of Pungent's jokes.

The sun, almost nonexistent above the oceanic horizon, glowed beautifully as the first pangs of a glorious sunset reached across the sky. Basking under its glow were the Gritty Goombas and Elite Troopeas, which were slowly becoming inactive as night approached. Although a team had lost their chance at one million Smash coins, their pride and confidence in each other and themselves swelled greater than the square land area of the humongous Beanbean Kingdom and its surrounding areas.

-----

_Leg 5 Special Guest_

_For this, the fifth leg of the race, the special guest is…Merlon, the esteemed fortune teller of east Rogueport._

_"Yes, yes…it's me…" Merlon smiled. "I am here to let all of you know that due to…erm, limited funding…this will be the last commentary made by a special guest. Quite frankly, I was wanting to wait for the next episode before I knew what happened…I don't ever even look at previews…oh well._

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_A team takes a chance by trying to take the Hazard."_

"Okay…this is a bit more of a waste of time than I would've liked!"

_"And the competition heats up with a Roadblock that spells out the location of the pit stop."_

"This stupid thing is so cryptic! I can't decipher or even understand it!"

_"In addition to that, the sixth leg is supposedly taking place at an author-created location close to the Beanbean Kingdom." Merlon announced. "Twice, teams have been in tropical areas that fielded pit stops…this next one will be the exact opposite!"_

_Waving politely, Merlon took a bow._

-----

Leg 5 Trivia:

- Originally, Undetected in part 1 of the leg was planned to be the Roadblock for that section.

- In TTYD1, a new time-consuming race twist known as the Turning Point was introduced. In this season, it was first released in Leg 5 Part 1, renamed under the title "Hazard." Unlike the previous season's slips of paper, this edition uses small rods to mimic the poles that hold up most road signs that warn of hazards. However, many of the uses and effects are the same, but the addition of a severe sacrifice was added in this season.

- The studies mentioned that the Woohoo Hooniversity is known for are almost all nods to the several types of enemies fought there in the game, where it is said that staff and students were turned into those monsters. They include Laser Snifits (laser tech), Yo Bros (retractable objects), Mecha-Chomps (electricity and robotics), and the three colors of Viruses (medicine). In the game, there is in fact a section of the school dedicated to the studies of blocks used in various Mario games (the fourth wall is also broken by mentioning the titles upon looking at the descriptions).

- During TTYD1, the double-length leg was easily revealed by the clue preceding the continuation point. Plus, both hosts were there with no greeter. However, this version kept the words 'possible pit stop' in all clues preceding the double-length leg, and there was a greeter(s) at the pit stop. This is comparable to TAR5 Leg 3, in which a trio of youth greeted the teams on an unnamed island in Argentina; in the castle's courtyard, the main trio of royal beans shown in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga appeared as greeters. They are Queen Bean, Lady Lima, and Prince Peasley.

- About a year before this chapter was started, the author and a group of friends had already dissected the questionability of Toadsworth's love life—he seemed to be secretly dating Zess T., and best friends with Lady Lima.

- Although the manager, owner, and cashier of the Beanbean fashion shop is referred to as a "she," in the game, it is very hard to tell what gender he or she is—there appears to be slight signs of a moustache, but the clothes seem to dictate a feminine character.

- Like TAR10 Leg 4, most of the travel in this leg was arguably done over water, by use of a type of boat.

- During the Smorg's showing at the Fungitown Embassy, the scene refers to the game, where Popple is scrubbing the base of a Mushroom and being supervised by a Toad.

- This double-length leg features two mini-games played in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The first was shown in part one's Detour as option Reflected, where teams took part in the Chuckola Bounce, which was used in the game to gain access to another section of Chucklehuck Woods to obtain a piece of the Beanstar. The second was featured as the Roadblock of the second part—members played the Surfing Game, trying to pop all 23 Oho Balloons as well as make a time less than one minute. This activity was used in the game as a way to obtain the rare Bubble's Gear and gather beans, depending on the player's acquired time.

- Beldam & Queen are the first team of AR2 to use a Fast Forward and win a leg.

- Gigi & Merri, the Jellyfish Sisters, who were greeters this leg, were also racers in the now-defunct Amazing Race: Superstar Saga.

-----

"This just in! Racers spotted for a third get-go of the race as friends and family report several loved ones missing from their daily lives! Reports have been said to show several backpackers trekking through the deep snow of the Snowflake Lake region, along with the fanny pack attire! Groups watching off-camera managed to peek in on the confidential pit stop location, and were able to confirm two sets of people—two girls and a coed couple—checking in!"

"Rumors have also been circulating about producers completing thorough race routes and locations for the next three seasons of race…fact or fiction? We, the magnificent Shy Guys of the invisible mask, will do our best to bring the information as it comes…"

"As for this season, producers have admitted to accidentally misinforming the general public—because of technical problems, the race will only contain 13 legs instead of the 14 originally slated. Due to the Mario Kart Grand Prix occurring near the time of filming, one of the race locations was blocked off, resulting in no access to the city. That non-elimination leg was scrapped, so the total is now 13 legs with 3 non-elimination. The race seems to be a bit shorter, but the million is still a far way off for our favorite duos!"

-----

Author's Note: Update on 02/10/07

If you noticed, I made a change on the underlined stuff…I don't know if I should label voice-overs or commentary anymore, since the reader can usually tell what it is from which tense the character speaks in (hopefully). It's not too big of a change, but it just seems right to me to leave that as discretion…typing "After-leg Interview," the rare "During-leg Interview," etc. gets a little excessive and strange after a while, so I think it's best to leave it out. But then again, no one cares, so I won't either! Heh, really, I won't!

Oh, there's something else interesting I noticed. It's really strange how different teams are coming out as 'strong' or 'weak' for some reason. For example, it seems that To-Too are standing out as the strong female team this time, like the Mer-Twins of season 1 (but the comparison is partially skewed, since The Posh were ousted third). And we also have Zessworth outlasting Gold & Silver, too…even staying close to the front of the pack. But what I think is really weird is the 'alpha-male' factor everyone looks for and tries to hate on/love. I don't really know if season 1 actually had an 'alpha,' since Rawk Hawk and Yoshi were so hard-headed and seemed to struggle, in spite of two first-place finishes. As for Flobbery and Koopley and Koops, they more of moved along randomly, trying to keep up with what seemed like the arguably stronger coed teams of Jolene and Mush, and surprisingly, DonFran. But this time around, there are the two Glitzville teams (it's arguable for the Hambros, but Andy and King are sorta questionable in my eyes) that are storming up the competition. Who knows; maybe one or both of the alphas will make the top three.

Okay…well, there was a need that I'd neglected to put on the ballot in the first part of the leg—giving the species of each character. Although I mentioned it on some, it wasn't on all. Keep in mind, though…because many of the characters are named by me, the names usually might not follow the approved naming patterns used in the game that are generally seen (i.e. a Toad having a "T." at the end to make an adjective with the "t" sound at the end), because if I did that, I'd be struggling to think up names for the rest of my life without ever getting to the story. The one exception is that of Nouvel (of Cassara & Nouvel). Although his name is meant to be pronounced with a long "o," it can be pronounced as "novel" to make the word, with the "T." of Toads added at the end, "novelty." Quite a coincidence…considering that the name came off of his eventual career as an author of "Paper Mario." Similarly, the names come from character descriptions provided by Goombella or text from the characters themselves. Anyways…here we go…

**Coed**

- Lahla & Rocko: Co-Workers (Kitty Boo/Pianta)

- Laki & Romana: Train Enthusiasts (Lakitu/Toad)

- Cassara & Nouvel: Married (Toads)

- Pierre & Rana: Dating (Squeeks)

- Gloomtail & Hooktail: Siblings (Dragons)

- Puni Elder & Puniper: Acquaintances (Punis)

- Phoebe & Justin: Best Friends (Toad/Lakitu)

- Will & Sharon: Engaged (Toads)

- Eve & Podley: Possibly Dating (Twilighter/Bean)

**Male**

- Blooey & Jerry: Best Friends (Blooper/Cherry Bob-omb)

- Plenn & Thriff: Brothers (Toads)

- Grodus & Crump: Charity Workers (X-Naut Variants)

- Swindell & Arfur: Former Thieves (Bandit/Doogan)

- Frankie & Ishnail: Supposed Enemies (Pianta/Snail)

- Vinny & Tony: Brothers (Piantas)

- Garf & Gus: Brothers (Snails)

- Dour & Kroop: Senior Citizens (Twilighter/Koopa)

- Herb & Wonky: Shop Owners (Toad/???)

- Kojo & Kory: Lifelong Friends (Koopas)

- Poddler & Hoggle: Business Owners (Bean/Pig)

- Vincent & Rook: Reporters (???/Lakitu)

- Crash & Cleftor: Minor League Fighters (Bob-omb/Cleft)

- Koopinator & Shellshock: Major League Fighters (Koopatrol/Dark Koopa)

- Dupree & Goom Goom: Loveless Guys (Doogan/Goomba)

- Bob & Larry: Leadership Partners (Bob-ombs)

- Swob & Fred: Best Friends (Bob-ombs)

- Rob & Nob: Best Friends (Bob-ombs)

Female 

- Theata & Hannah: Theatergoers (Toads)

- Toce & Koopie Koo: Best Friends (Toad/Koopa)

- Hope & Delia: Moms (Twilighters)

- Mary & Prissy: Business Workers (Toads)

- Norma & Ingrid: Services Managers (Bob-ombs)

For any personality or in-depth details on these teams, see the previous chapter. If you noticed, there are two characters that have "???" as their character species. This is because there weren't really any clues to exactly what Wonky or Vincent were (but since "Twilighters" can't be classified as a true species, I can't exactly talk, now can I?).

Currently, there are a few teams that already have a lead by votes made by offline people. At the moment, the four teams most wanted to be on season 3 that have definite votes are Eve & Podley, Frankie & Ishnail, Hope & Delia, and Puniper & Puni Elder. Certainly wasn't expecting three of those, but what happens happens, I guess.

So…whenever you want to, e-mail or private message me on who you want to be on TTYD3 and TTYD4. Remember, only 12 teams per season, so 8 teams will not participate in the race at all. Speak out now to be heard!

Come back for the next leg/chapter if you want (things are getting a lot worse, aren't they)!


	8. Leg 6: Flat Mesa and Double Edged Sword!

Author's Note: Update on 03/08/07

Hooray for inconsistent updates. Yay. Well, here is leg six for everyone who has so faithfully persisted in reading this breathtakingly long fan-fiction. And for new readers…just try and keep up. Not only have things gotten fired up, but battle lines will be drawn and hearts will be broken this time around…

**Review Answering:**

**SSBFreak**: Thank you for the ballot. Wait till you see how I've…'continued…'

**Yoshi Hoshi**: Okay, I got your choices worked out—thankfully, I remembered that you would make amends to your previous choice, so I waited before marking it down. Um…let's see… First to worst is never a good thing in TAR, but it's happened a few times. I don't think that it occurred in TAR7, Leg 2, though… I think the biggest fall occurred in TAR4, Leg 2. One of the teams had previously taken part in a three-way tie in the first leg, but dropped to eleventh place later on…ouchie. Oh, and don't worry. "Smorg Smartness" is just an arc at the moment. Who knows? We might continue on into "Smorg Stupidity Revisited," but then again…they might stay smart forever…in order to take over the world…lolz.

-----

Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

"…It isn't over?"

_Nine teams of two arrived at what they thought was the fifth pit stop in a race around the world, only to be greeted by a surprise._

"This leg of the race isn't over." Miles said, producing two clue envelopes. "Keep on racing."

_Continuing on from where they left off, the nine teams faced an equalizer that involved sleeping overnight in waiting for the next location to open in the morning. During this time period, Zess discovered that Toadsworth might have already claimed another as his girlfriend._

"Toadsworth, it's really you! Oh, how amazing!" Lady Lima squealed, and ran up to her friend before hugging him tightly.

"Erm…good to see you too, Lady Lima…" Toadsworth grinned nervously as he returned the gesture of affection. Zess just stared at the action in shock, her mouth agape.

_The next morning, the waiting teams rushed inside Woohoo Hooniversity, where Beldam decided that she and Queen would head for the Fast Forward._

"A Fast Forward?! Oh please, be something easy so I can spend half a day away from HER…" Beldam wished, opening the green folder.

_But the Shadow Queen completely fell apart at the scene._

"IF YOU EVEN THINK I'M GONNA TOUCH SOMETHING THAT HAS THE FACES OF THOSE TWO FREAKAZOIDS ON IT, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING! IF YOU'RE EVEN CRAZY ENOUGH TO…"

_Teams encountered a Detour in the freezing temperatures of Joke's End. Most teams opted to carve artwork…_

"Yeah…who knew that ice sculpting could be so hard?" Too asked, slamming her hammer into a nail to break away a chunk of ice.

"Okay…we're almost done…just need to get that part cracked." Waitress started hammering at an area of ice.

_…While the rest nursed soldiers back to health in a hostile battlefield._

"Second bowl is finally clean…" Wife announced, grabbing the bowl of the third injured Scaratroopea she was to care for.

_After eventual havoc, Beldam and Queen energetically dragged themselves to the pit stop._

"You're team number one."

In slow motion, Beldam extravagantly raised her arms into the air as she prepared to give Queen the biggest hug she could muster. Queen did the exact same thing, and the two started moving closer to each other…until Queen dodged, clasping her hands together as she started talking to the Jellyfish Sisters, causing Beldam to fall flat on her face.

_Tension rose at the Roadblock as all teams caught up, and almost everyone struggled._

"Crap!"

"Dangit!"

"Darn!"

_As the result of finishing the Roadblock first, Smorgo and Smorga arrived at the pit stop in second place…_

"However…because you took a duplicate clue, I'm afraid you'll have to wait out a thirty minute penalty before I can check you in." Miles motioned towards a sandy rock. "…Um…could you wait over there, please?"

_But in the end, it came down to a race between the Punis and Zess and Toadsworth._

"Pungry and Pungent." Miles nodded sadly. "You're the last team to arrive."

"Yeah…we kinda figured that after we got so excited about being safe…we ended up being a bit too hasty…" Pungry said, the hint of an embarrassed smile on his face.

"I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Miles confirmed.

Beldam & Queen Reign; Punis Sent Packing

_Eight teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is Gwarhar Lagoon, a peaceful beach in the southern Oho Ocean. It fields several pipes that lead underwater, and features several species of creatures not found anywhere else. Alongside that, it is also well known for the mysterious rock formations lying amongst the sands, said to contain various puzzles and mind games. And in the northern section of this serene, tropical retreat is this place: the Jellyfish Sister's Spa and Relaxation Resort. This luxurious health center, popular for its cleansing and rejuvenating massage treatments, was the fifth pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The eight teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_How long will the newfound intelligence of the Smorg last? Will the three-team alliance be able to pull themselves back together? And will Zess and Toadsworth mend their relationship by looking over their misunderstanding well enough to pull them out of last place?_

_Beldam and Queen, who arrived at 2:43 P.M…_

"…O-One?!" Beldam gaped. "Y-YES! We did it, Queen! We got first!"

"I know!" Queen babbled.

_…Will depart at 2:43 A.M._

-----

In the calmness of the night, the only sounds rippling across Gwarhar Lagoon were that of the waves, creeping softly up the sands before gradually receding back into the sea once more. The only other noises that interrupted the stillness were the occasional movements of sleeping creatures moving about in their sleep. And—

"IT'S TOO DARK TO BE TRAVELING! WHY THE HECK DO WE HAVE TO LEAVE WHEN IT'S SO DARK! THIS IS RIDIC—MMF!"

A small glow of light emitted from the openings of the Jellyfish Sister's Spa and Relaxation Resort, but it was hardly enough to be of efficient reading luminosity. Standing outside the stone treatment center was the first team; Beldam had her hands clasped over Queen's mouth to prevent any more unnecessary outbursts. Not very much had seemed to change about the team clothing-wise, as Beldam's hat wasn't different—it only seemed to have been washed. Queen, on the other hand, had replaced the large golden crown in favor of a smaller, silver tiara. It became apparent that the latter of the two had taken advantage of the potential pampering of the resort, as her nails had been done, her hair seemed glossier than ever, and her purple shadows seemed to almost shine.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 1st to Depart, 2:43 A.M. (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

"Now…I want you to hold the flashlight…okay?" Beldam uncovered Queen's mouth and handed her the flashlight.

"I'm not going to touch that!" Queen shouted disgustedly. "The material on that handle feels disgusting!"

"Okay, fine…then will you read the clue while I hold it?" Beldam asked, a hint of impatience edging into her voice.

"…I guess. …But it better not mess up my nails!" Queen added quickly.

When the arrival time of the team passed, Beldam turned on the flashlight as Queen tore open the clue envelope.

"'Steer your motorboat back to your marked car at the Teehee Valley Ocean Clearing. From there, drive yourselves through Teehee Valley and pass the entrance to Little Fungitown until you reach Mineral Outpost. Locate the entrance to Mineral Wells, where you will find your next clue.'"

_Teams must now maneuver their motorboats 11 miles through the Oho Ocean to the Teehee Valley Ocean Clearing, where they left their marked cars in the previous leg. After abandoning the motorboats, they will need to drive through Teehee Valley and pass the entrance to Little Fungitown into the open desert until they reach this small desert town, known as Mineral Outpost, 102 miles away. This small town, nestled into the cove of a mesa, is well known for its mineral-wealthy water. Here, close to the hole from which the water spouts out of an unseen reservoir into the Mineral Wells River, teams will find their next clue._

"'You have 182 Smash coins for this leg of the race.'" Queen concluded.

Beldam held the Smash bill up to the credit card normally kept in the fanny pack and watched as it disintegrated.

"Wow…so we have to drive over a hundred miles in our car…" Beldam muttered. "Hopefully we won't lose this two-hour-and-a-half lead."

"Well, we won't if you do your share of the work…which you never do."

"Last leg, we ran across a hypnotist that hypnotized Queen into strictly doing everything for the race—following the rules, doing the challenges WILLINGLY…" Beldam sighed. "Although I honestly felt a strange happiness to have her change back…I really wish that she could have had a combo or something…weird personality plus hard-working… If only…"

Climbing into the motorboat, Beldam was surprised to notice that a headlight had been attached to the front.

"…This better be enough to keep us from crashing into a rock in the middle of the ocean…" Beldam grumbled.

"It better! That might ruin my nails!" Queen squealed, prompting Beldam to smack herself on the forehead.

"…You are SUCH a wuss…"

"HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A HORRID THING ABOUT ME, YOU—oh look! It's the beautiful moon! Almost as beautiful as me!"

Again, Beldam smacked herself on the head.

-----

The ride through the Oho Ocean was uneventful. Luckily for Beldam, she steered clear of rocks, even when pulling into the ocean clearing of Teehee Valley. Because it was still dark, the grooves in the ground were near impossible to see, and the shadow folk felt they were fine without a flashlight in making it to their marked car.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Teehee Valley, Ocean Clearing)**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! I CHIPPED A NAIL AFTER TRIPPING ON THIS STUPID SAND! CURSE YOU, STUPID GRAINS OF SAND! WHICH ONE OF YOU TINY LITTLE THINGIES IS THE CULPRIT?!" Queen screamed wildly, flailing about as if she were trying to kick the ground.

"…I won't even ask HOW you tripped…even more, how you tripped over SAND for that matter…" Beldam rolled her eyes before turning around and searching for their designated car.

"YOU WILL ALL PAY!" Queen barked, laughing maniacally as she attacked the sand with her 'Dead Hands' manifestation attack. Her large hands disappeared from her side, and thousands of smaller ones reached up from the ground, grabbed a fistful of sand, and crunched it…all obviously accomplishing nothing. …Almost nothing.

"…Oh, great…" Beldam covered where her ears would be as she climbed into the car.

"MYYYY NAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIILS! THEY'RE RUINED!" Queen screamed at the top of her lungs, causing the rearview mirrors of all marked cars, minus the absent one of eliminated Pungry and Pungent, to shatter and fall to the ground. Luckily, the windshields stayed intact.

"…Maybe I should've teamed up with Marilyn or Vivian for the first race…" Beldam muttered, her hair frizzed out from the large amount of air that somehow reached her after being expelled from Queen's gigantic screech.

-----

"Okay…I could've sworn I heard a nightmarish scream that liked Queen wake up earlier. Please tell it was just a nightmare…" Shimi remarked groggily.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 2nd to Depart, 5:16 A.M. (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

A very, very small hint of sunlight had breached the horizon, but that light alone was hardly enough to tell what the co-workers were wearing. Chef Shimi was wearing a specialty-made blue sweater with holes for his fins, face, and tail, along with the black bonnet from the beginning of the last leg. Waitress had braided the two parts of purple hair on both sides of her head, giving her a country-like look. She was wearing a pink shirt that said "I'M A WAITRESS" on it in large white, glittering letters that complimented long black pants with silver stripes running down the lengths of each pant leg.

"Sorry…but I heard it, too." Waitress yawned. "Okay…could you turn on the flashlight? Much better, thanks… 'Steer your motorboat back to your marked car at the Teehee Valley Ocean Clearing. From there, drive yourselves through Teehee Valley and pass the entrance to Little Fungitown until you reach Mineral Outpost. Locate the entrance to Mineral Wells, where you will find your next clue. You have 182 Smash coins for this leg of the race.'"

"We're great to motor!" Shimi exclaimed, putting away the credit card.

"So far through the race, Waitress and I have grown a lot! …Um…not like, grown taller or bigger or anything… Well, maybe…uh… Grown…mentally? Wait, now…um…no…that'd mean we were stupid to begin with…which we're not…d'oh! CUT!" Shimi yelled, an embarrassed blush coming over his face.

After getting into the motorboat, Shimi and Waitress took off.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 3rd to Depart, 5:24 A.M. (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

As usual, the Big Bandit and KP Koopa did very little to change their appearance, as there wasn't much of a need to. Other than Andy wearing a red cloak and King K. taking off a choker here and there, the two didn't look much different than they did the day before.

King beckoned for Andy to point the flashlight in his direction as he started reading.

"'Steer your motorboat back to your marked car at the Teehee Valley Ocean Clearing. From there…'"

"Our strategy pretty much is what it is, yo. Stay near the top and don't look back. Doesn't get much simpler other than willpower, dawg…fact is, just pushin' is what's gotten us this far." King commented.

"Sorta worries me that the shadows have such a lead on us…they left like two hours ago." Andy remarked. "And what's more…Queen was actually SMILING during the pit stop after being all fancy!"

"Disturbin', ain't it?" King snickered.

When loading their backpacks into the boat was done, Andy and King got in and prepared for a high-speed boat ride through the ocean.

**To & Too: Sisters- 4th to Depart, 5:33 A.M. (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Doing their best to stay identical to each other while being fashionable, To and Too had donned similar zipper jackets, blue jeans, and 'Traveling Sisters 3' T-shirts. The difference was in their hair—while To had opted to tie her pink hair back in a ponytail, Too allowed her green hair to fly freely.

"With eight teams left, we both really need to try harder. Not only is the 'safe' zone a lot slimmer, but the competition is rising, and the other teams will start playing more aggressive." To mentioned. "Hopefully, we won't be dragged into anything that could potentially hurt us."

"Basically all we need is each other to keep going," Too continued. "Although we appreciate the fact that everyone is so nice, when it comes down to it, we have to be ready to play as just the two of us."

"'You have 182 Smash coins for this leg of the race.'" To finished.

"Alright! So, shall we ship off?"

"You know it!"

Giggling as if it were mid-day, the sisters headed down the beach path, climbed into their motorboat and sped away.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Teehee Valley Trail)**

"Could y-you stop driving s-so shakily, y-you f-fool! I'm t-trying to get my b-beauty s-sleep!" Queen complained.

"Sorry, your h-highness, but this r-road is bumpy!" Beldam replied.

Driving as steadily as she could through the canyon, the ice-powered Shadow Siren sighed.

"W-Well, be careful, w-will you?! My hair is getting a-all frizzy from th-this—OW!"

Queen shrieked as she bounced out of her seat and hit her head on the top of the vehicle—the result of not having put on the 'distasteful' seatbelt before Beldam drove over a ditch.

"MY HAIR IS RUINED BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID 4x4!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 5th to Depart, 5:40 A.M. (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

The Smorg were as clean as a polished, shiny whistle; there were no traces of grime, dirt, or any unsightly substances anywhere on them.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay…now we are headed to some nowhere place called Mineral Outpost. Just great…)" Smorgo muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (That is not nowhere. I have actually heard of it before; it is in the midst of a desert called the Clayouse Mesas.)" Smorga informed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (What made you such an inexplicably strange genius?)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Honestly, there is no point in me saying anything worthwhile, because the cameraman will turn the camera off right about…now."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I am surprised that we are still like this…it feels wonderful to be an intelligent being.)" Smorga remarked happily.

Not the least bit flustered that the sand was dirtying them up again, the Smorg made their way back to the motorboats. After taking a short dip, they hopped into the boat and were off.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Teehee Valley, Ocean Clearing)**

After a short walk up the clearing, the pair arrived at the set of unevenly parked marked cars.

"Okay…so we need to drive to Mineral Outpost, over a hundred miles away…sounds like fun." Waitress sighed, climbing into the front seat.

"Sure does!" Shimi responded, faking enthusiasm. "I wonder if we can match to Queen and Beldam…I mean, they slept before we did…"

Waitress ignored the last jumbled comment and started the engine up.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 6th to Depart, 5:58 A.M. (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Evidently, the Ham-bros. were affected by the cold of the tropical atmosphere. Both were wearing remarkably oversized hoodies with blue and red colors, respectively.

"'Steer your motorboat…'"

"Right now, our biggest threat to success is definitely the minor leaguers. It's not that Bandy Andy and King K. are overly smart, strong or fast…but I will admit that they are some…" Hamma trailed off unwillingly, rolling his eyes. "Somehow, they always manage to find some way ahead of us. It's unbelievable—like, whenever we think we've done something good, we get shot down just 'cuz we find out they've done better. But whether it gives us a drive or not…that's not for me to say."

"Looks like the 4x4s from last leg are gonna be good for drivin' off road." Flare remarked.

"Yeah…good thing that since it's the middle of nowhere, we'll be able to speed without no kind of tickets or anything." Hamma said, snickering.

"Got that right!"

Throwing their bags into the motorboat, Hamma and Flare followed up by jumping in. Hamma took his spot at the steering wheel.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Teehee Valley, Ocean Clearing)**

"Sweet! Still maintained third place!"

"You thought we got lost, dawg?"

Quickly throwing their bags into the trunk of their marked vehicle, the homeboys climbed into the car.

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- 7th to Depart, 6:09 A.M. (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Keeping in touch with their Twilight Town origin, Husband and Wife had put on somewhat matching outfits—his red cap matched her red bandana, her gray shirt matched his gray long-sleeve, his black vest matched her black jacket, her blue jeans matched his navy blue slacks, and their sneakers almost seemed oddly similar in size.

"'You have 182 Smash coins…'"

"Our alliance splitting because of the nature of the tasks in the previous leg wasn't exactly a good thing. If we can re-route it, I'm sure that we'll be able to make our way back to the top," Husband continued, "because teamwork is the best way to get us out of this mess. Although it'll be pretty troublesome trying to play catch up, we're up to it."

"I really hope we catch up to Shim-stress…" Wife said nervously, putting her pack into the boat.

"We will somehow. Don't worry about it." Husband assured softly. "Just you wait."

"Speaking of wait, we'll have to wait for Zessworth."

"Covered. They'll drive their motorboat extra-fast to catch up."

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Teehee Valley, Ocean Clearing)**

"Oddly enough, I feel a wave of nostalgia even though we visited just yesterday." To admitted, making a sour face that caused Too to laugh.

"Really? All I feel is the breeze and the small bit of sunlight." Too replied.

Too brushed back her bangs as she took a look at the map.

"Apparently, that other path past Little Fungitown is where we need to go." Too directed.

"That shouldn't be too hard to find."

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Last to Depart, 6:24 A.M. (Gwarhar Lagoon, Jellyfish Sister's Relaxation Room)**

Although they'd had quite a spill the previous leg, Zess and Toadsworth seemed in better spirits—they were holding hands as they opened the clue. Zess had left her hair to flow freely, resulting in a mini-curl from her normally curled-up style. Her attire consisted of a red shirt, black jacket, and light-blue mini-skirt. Toadsworth, on the other hand, was wearing a white T-shirt with a picture of Princess Peach's castle on the front, a navy blue jacket, and dark-colored blue jeans. Strangely, his signature glasses weren't in sight; he'd either neglected to wear them for the moment, or had chosen to put in unmentioned contact lenses.

"'Steer your motorboat back to your marked car…'"

"People make mistakes…it's a fact of life. It scared us quite a lot to know that ours was so disgusting, though. Although we had a mere misunderstanding, we treated each other so nastily…" Zess said reflectively. "But, because we love each other so much…there's no reason to go on feuding…that's why it was so easy to make up."

"Such a mistake caused us to fall into last place," Toadsworth added. "I would rather be eliminated on good terms with my partner than on bad…not to say that we plan on being eliminated. It is quite imperative that we will work together to overcome the shake we had after coming in second-to-last."

"Everyone has so much time on us…and this whole leg will be driving…" Zess frowned as she let out a yawn. "That cannot be good."

"Do not forget, however…I am quite sure that the others are bound to make…various mistakes along the way. If it is a one-track road…we will cross that bridge when we come to it." Toadsworth chuckled.

Moving quickly but calmly, the Toads placed their backpacks in their motorboat and hopped in. Toadsworth proceeded to drive it out of the bay.

-----

After driving through the Teehee Valley region, the lead team found itself in an open stretch of desert. In the distance were several large mesas and plateaus, ranging in size, length, height, etc. Their surroundings seemed somewhat abnormal; littered about the sands were several species of forest vegetation and a few small ponds here and there, scattered amongst the regular cacti and sand dunes.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Clayouse Mesas)**

"So far, no one has caught up to us…but we've been driving a long way…" Beldam muttered, trying her best to concentrate on driving while reading a map of the expansive desert region.

"Well, duh, you unintelligent subordinate!" Queen shouted. "We left like, two hours before everyone else!"

"…Yeah, I know." Beldam replied in an irritated tone. "You do realize we lost a lot of time with you attacking the sand though, right?"

"…IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, BELDAM!"

"…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Teehee Valley Trail)**

"We should be getting into the exit of the canyon soon." Shimi informed.

"Great…hopefully the road there won't be so bumpy." Waitress mumbled. "Does it feel hot in here to you?"

"Yeah. The sun is beating down on us like a drumstick in this dessert!" Shimi complained.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Teehee Valley Trail)**

"Dude! Spyin' a car up ahead!" King exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Andy strained himself to get a better view. "…Yeah, you're right! That's gotta be the car of the Excess Express workers!"

"Should we try and pass 'em?" King queried.

"I dunno. These roads don't seem all too safe to be passing others on…" Andy responded disappointedly.

**To & Too: Sisters (Teehee Valley Trail)**

"Just keep it going fast and we may just catch up." Too encouraged. "Either that, or we'll pull away from the team behind us."

"Hopefully we keep them trailing us and they don't get in front." To remarked.

Almost simultaneously, the sisters looked back.

"Oh, look…"

"…Are you serious?"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Teehee Valley Trail)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Look up ahead. We finally caught up to the sisters.)" Smorgo noticed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Remarkable. We must be going at a miraculous speed to have them even within eyesight.)" Smorga calculated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (No…it must have been the motorboat ride that allowed us to catch up.)" Smorgo decided.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Teehee Valley Trail)**

"Nothing in sight but these stupid walls…" Flare muttered. "When the heck are we gettin' out of here?"

"When you drive us there, stupid." Hamma replied.

"Shut up," Flare said, threatening Hamma with a small fireball that danced about his finger.

**Husband & Wife: Married (Teehee Valley Trail)**

"We have GOT to catch up to everyone else if we're to have a chance of even keeping our alliance together!" Wife said apprehensively.

"Like I said, don't worry!" Husband reassured. "We've got Zessworth behind us. If we can just somehow make it back up, like at a challenge or something, we'll be alright."

"…But…" Wife trailed off, sighed, and continued driving.

"For us, the most important thing was trying to stick together. We let Toadsworth and Zess catch up so we knew that we were together, but I know for a fact that I wasn't so sure about losing time on the others." Wife explained. "That's what I like so much about my dearest Husband…he's able to make decisions so easily, no matter how hard they seem. I, on the other hand…well…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Teehee Valley Trail)**

"Make sure we don't lose them…" Zess reminded absentmindedly, speaking in a tired monotone.

"Of course." Toadsworth smiled as he fondly looked into the mirror, seeing his partner doze off and react several seconds later by jolting back awake.

"…I-I'm sorry, Worthsy…" Zess stammered. "I should really be helping you with directions or something. I'll—"

"Don't worry about it." Toadsworth comforted. "It's a one-track road, so we can't exactly get lost. When we get to the desert, I'll wake you up."

Smiling in gratitude, Zess drifted off to sleep to compensate for the panicked overdrive she'd been in the previous day.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Clayouse Mesas)**

"We shouldn't be too far from Mineral Outpost now…" Beldam announced, looking at the map.

"You're such the ruler of the obvious." Queen said mockingly. "It's so easy to see that we're coming close."

"…Wait…what's that noise?" Beldam asked.

Falling silent, the women nervously looked about for the source of the faint hissing sound. They both almost simultaneously showed signs of realization as the car's flow over the dirt became choppy and uncontrolled.

"GREAT! WE HAVE A FLAT TIRE! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, BELDAM!"

Reluctantly, Beldam pulled over to the side of the 'road' while ignoring Queen's useless prattling.

"…OF ALL THE TIMES WE NEED A GOOD CAR TO GET WHERE WE NEED TO GO, YOU GO AND POP THE TIRE! GENIUS, BLUE-HAT! AND NOW WE'RE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A STUPID DESERT WITH UGLY SURROUNDINGS! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR MY EYE SURGERY, YOU RIDICULOUS WENCH! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO RESPECTING YOUR BETTERS…"

"…Does she ever shut up?" Beldam groaned as she pulled out the jack and spare tire from the back of the vehicle. "No, really. Does she EVER shut up?!"

"…AND BEING THE OVERLORD OF MAKEUP! I KNOW THAT IT ISN'T A HARD REQUEST, BUT YOU, BELDAM! YOU RUIN EVERYTHING! I'LL NEVER BE THE RULER OF ALL COSMETIC PRODUCTS SO I CAN MAKE THEM PURPLE FOR THE GOOD OF ALL!"

Resisting the very, very, very tempting urge to attack the Shadow Queen, Beldam quickly started the tedious task of changing the flat tire.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Clayouse Mesas)**

"They're not letting up, are they?" King asked curiously, not taking his eyes off the road.

"…No. They're still trying to pass us." Andy replied. "Hey, what's that up ahead?"

Looking at the right side of the path interestedly, the fighters were more than surprised to see that the stopped marked car they were coming up to belonged to none other than the shadow folk.

King let down the windows and brought their 4x4 to a brief halt next to that of Beldam and Queen.

"Do you need any help?" Andy asked, a hint of pity somewhere in his voice.

"No…it's fine." Beldam responded stubbornly. "Just go…"

The guys looked at each other, shrugged, and then turned their eyes back towards the road ahead.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Clayouse Mesas)**

"Are you sure you don't want us to help?" Waitress inquired.

"Yeah…I…can…handle it…" Beldam forced a grin as she tried hiding the trouble she was having.

"AND THE FACT THAT THE SUN IS SO DARNED UGLY WITH ITS LIGHT! WHY DO PEOPLE THINK IT'S SO NICE, ANYWAY! IT'S JUST A BIG BALL OF STUPID FLAMES THAT IS LAMER THAN ALL TYPES OF CANDY COMBINED!"

"Can you believe it? I can't believe we actually caught up to Queen and Beldam. They left, like, way ahead of us!" Waitress remarked as the car started moving again. "And we caught up in a car…that's so weird."

"They must've had some magazine issues on the road to this area." Shimi responded.

Noting the car in the lead, Waitress turned back to pursuing the homeboys.

**To & Too: Sisters (Clayouse Mesas)**

"Really sorry that you guys got a flat." To apologized, giving Beldam a small smile of kindness.

"Yeah…hope you can get back in the race." Too agreed.

"Don't worry about it. We'll be back in very soon…" Beldam assured as she started wrenching the rest of the smaller pieces into place.

At that moment, the car of the Smorg flew by. Slightly surprised, the To reacted by speeding away, accidentally creating a small cloud of dust.

"SORRY!"

"AND TO THINK THAT SAND EXISTS LIKE THIS! HOW RIDICULOUS! LITTLE GRAINS OF USELESS MINERALS THAT RUINED MY NAILS AND MADE A FOOL OUT OF MY REPUTATION!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Clayouse Mesas)**

"Hey, look…it's the nag hag and her little servant!" Hamma pointed out.

"What losers…they seriously lost that much time? That's pathetic." Flare snorted.

Doubled over in laughter, the Hammer and Fire Brothers made faces at the shadow folk as they passed by.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Clayouse Mesas)**

"We'll see about that, you little jerks!" Beldam sneered, stomping her shadow on the gas pedal. This sent the car reeling forward.

"AAAAAAAAH! MY HAIR!"

-----

Mineral Outpost, a quiet station located under the shadow of a large mesa, was easily very different from most desert towns located anywhere in the world. The biggest factor was that for which the town was named—a fresh, flowing spout of mineral water that ran from the a hole in the large mesa through the middle of the town as a stream, and out into the seemingly endless museum of mesas. However, the town itself had other interesting features about it, not the least of which included its strange sense of architecture; several buildings, bridges, and roads seemed to be constructed with a very old structural design only seen in other places not even closely related, such as Ancient Valley, Ancient Archipelago, or Grand Canal. None of this was lost on the first few teams as they came rushing in, disturbing the tranquility with the noisy engines of their marked cars.

**Andy & King/Shimi & Waitress- Currently in 1st & 2nd (Mineral Outpost, Mesa Water Source)**

After leaping energetically out of their marked cars after the exhaustingly long drive, the two teams rushed over to the clue box.

"There's like a truckload of information here." Andy remarked, pulling out three different-colored folders.

"I've never seen so many cards in one envelope before." Shimi agreed.

"Let's look in this one first." Waitress said. "'Detour. Change or Charge. How would you benefit from desert work?'"

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have to choose between two jobs commonly performed by Clayouse Mesa workers as economic functions. Their choice? Change or Charge._

_In Change, teams will need to drive 2 miles to this place, known as the Clay Refining Center. Here, teams will need to don safety clothes and head into this marked laboratory, where they will be instructed on how to use chemicals found in the Clayouse Mesas region to change clay into steel. After being taught, the teams will get to do it for themselves—they will need to change enough clay to make two pounds of steel pieces. Once the complicated chemical process has been performed enough times to obtain the required amount of steel, teams will receive their next clue._

_In Charge, teams will need to follow the Mineral Wells River downstream 3 miles to this set of buildings, separated on a branch of the river, known as the Outpost Generators. They will need to choose one of the generators and figure out how to produce enough electricity to fully charge these high-voltage batteries. However, because there is no running water, teams will have to strategically exert physical and mechanical strength in order to move the water wheel and produce a charge. Once the battery is fully charged, teams will receive their next clue._

"But lookit this." King pointed to a side note under both Detour options. "'Operation times for both facilities are 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M."

"Crap…that gives pretty much everyone a chance to catch up…well, almost." Andy muttered, looking at his watch.

"Let's look at this…" Waitress pulled the promising green card up to the front and opened it. "…Are we seriously THIS desperate?"

_The Fast Forward is an award found on almost every leg of the race. Any team that uses a Fast Forward will be allowed to skip all tasks and head directly to the pit stop, but that team will no longer be able to use their Fast Forward power for the rest of the race, so they must decide when it is most advantageous to go for it._

_In this Fast Forward, teams will have to head to this outdoor restaurant, the Ousineral Plaza. Here, they will need to put on the traditional garb of the desert workers and take spots as servers. While serving people their food, the team needs to gather 40 Smash coins in tips from customers. Once a team has obtained this amount, they will be rewarded with the Fast Forward._

"…I can do that any time on the Excess Express…" Waitress murmured. "I don't really want to waste this leg by being a…waitress…"

The entire group looked at Waitress' shirt before looking back at her, causing her to sigh.

"Well…what's this…" King salvaged the purple folder from under the stack. "…Whaddya got for us, Hazard dawg?"

_A Hazard is a daunting, time-consuming task that teams can perform to claim one of several different items that could potentially change the outcome of the race, but to do so, they will have to risk their own existence as racers by giving up their time—however, once a team claims a Hazard item, they cannot claim another for the entire race. Almost always, the items available differ._

_In this, the second of three Hazards in the entire race, teams will need to drive 3 miles out of their way to this mesa—Mooncleft Rock, a phenomenal stone formation that blocks the moon during the summer solstice. After getting geared up, racers will climb the large configuration one at a time. Once both have done so, they will be allowed to choose from one of five rods that will grant them a certain power._

"…The Hazard sounds like it'll take a bit too long in my opinion…" Andy sighed.

"Yeah…might as well go for the Detour." King agreed. "So…whuzzit gonna be?"

"Let's go for Charge. Physical force with that sounds better."

"I think we should do Change. I never was a science major, but…" Waitress paused. "It sounds really neat!"

"You got it!"

In no major hurry, the two teams walked back to their marked cars, got in, and started driving towards their next destinations.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 3rd (Mineral Outpost, Mesa Water Source)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I do not know if we would essentially be able to perform either the Fast Forward or the Hazard…I deduce the Detour is our only option.)" Smorgo decided.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Which one?)" Smorga asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Are you up to bristling up against a huge wooden water wheel?)" Smorgo questioned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…No.)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Then it is settled. Our only other option is to change clay into steel…which is theoretically impossible, at scientific standards.)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMROGSMROGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Evidently, it is not, as they are able to perform it with ease…it just has to be tempered down so that the process is much simpler.)"

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4th (Mineral Outpost, Mesa Water Source)**

"Too bad we can't do the Hazard…" Too put the purple folder on the bottom of the stack.

"That leaves us with the Fast Forward and the Detour…" To mused. "Let's go for the Detour. We can save our Fast Forward rights for another leg. Besides…I don't want to be a waitress in this heat."

"You're not alone there."

After quickly skimming the Detour folder, the sisters looked at each other.

"I think we should go for transforming the clay…it sounds really cool." To murmured.

"I think so, too. Let's go to the Clay Refining Center, then!"

Before getting in the marked car, the sisters seemingly produced two cameras from hammerspace and took a picture of the water spout.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 5th (Mineral Outpost, Mesa Water Source)**

"We've got the time…we're doin' the Hazard, bro." Flare announced.

"Right. Hey, look…the shadows are comin'. Maybe we can lure 'em off track, eh?" Hamma snickered.

"This is gonna be fun…" Flare smirked, rubbing his hands together as he hopped into the driver's seat.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 6th (Mineral Outpost, Mesa Water Source)**

"Everyone else has already come and left, in spite of the operation hours…" Beldam observed her surroundings.

"So?! Just choose something!"

"Okay, we'll go for the Detour…we'll change the clay!"

Rushing to hurry back into their car, the shadow folk followed the marked vehicle of the brothers in the distance, not even taking a second to think that the brothers weren't going to the same place.

**Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth- Currently in 7th & Last (Mineral Outpost, Mesa Water Source)**

"…'Detour. Change or Charge. How would you benefit from desert work?'" Wife read.

"Where would Shimstress go? We have a chance to catch up to everyone." Husband said energetically.

"Knowing them, they'd go for Change. Knowing us, I'd agree." Zess giggled.

"I think she's right." Toadsworth agreed. "Come on, we must hurry if we are to make it there before they open!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Clayouse Mesas)**

"Where the heck are the brothers going?" Beldam asked.

"I thought you were the genius, Beldam." Queen retorted. "Where are we going again?"

"At least I know you're right about me being a genius…" Beldam muttered sarcastically. "I think they're going for the Hazard…crap. We have to go back to town and find the refining center."

Growling, Beldam forced the 4x4 into a tight U-turn back in the direction of Mineral Outpost.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Mooncleft Rock)**

"Hahah, I wish I coulda seen their faces…by the swing of that U-turn, they were pretty peeved." Flare smirked.

"Got that right." Hamma agreed.

Looking briefly at their watches, the brothers stepped up to a race official with the safety gear.

"You're here for the climb up Mooncleft Rock?"

"Yeah. That and nothing else. We're going to finish it and get outta here."

-----

Waiting patiently at the gates to the Outpost Generators, the sole team standing there looked around. They were alone as far as competition went for the moment, and luckily, the iron gates allowed them to enter the side portion of the running river.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Outpost Generators)**

"We need to choose one of those generator houses…let's steal this closest one." Andy said decisively.

Walking into the small, wooden center, the homeboys smiled as they noticed that the battery to be charged had already been hooked up. All that they needed to do was exert the effort in cranking the wheel.

"Shouldn't be too difficult…" King commented. "Should one take it up and the other keep an eye?"

"Sure. We can swap at the halfway point." Andy responded. "I'll take first run."

-----

Only half of the teams that had been planning to perform Change were waiting at the doors to the Clay Refining Center when they were to be opened. Since they didn't know there were others behind them, they all assumed their competition was already there, making the entrance all the much more nerve-wracking.

**Shimi & Waitress/Smorgo & Smorga/To & Too (Clay Refining Center)**

"…I would've expected our friends to be here already…" Shimi muttered worriedly.

"They'll be at the Detour soon enough." Waitress replied.

When the doors opened, the three teams rushed into the laboratory. Taking note of race arrows as they ran through the narrow corridors, the six followed each direction. Within seconds, the sisters had pulled slightly ahead of the express workers; the Smorg were being left in the dust. However, much to the lead teams' chagrin, they were forced to sit down and listen to an instructional lecture.

"Now, be sure to be careful with all of the equipment and chemicals." The Gritty Goomba began. "You will be wearing provided lab coats, of course, but the chemicals you are dealing with are very strong. And DON'T SWALLOW ANY. It's toxic."

Giggling, To and Too looked over at the Smorg, who glared back.

"SMORGSMORG (What are they looking at? Oh, right…no one realizes that we are like this yet…even though it has been so apparent…)" Smorga humphed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ignore it. We will show toxic when we beat them all at changing the clay.)" Smorgo reminded.  
"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I dumped the cameraman, so I can turn this interview off whenever I want. Just hope it gets put somewhere good… Anyways, it feels really odd to actually be…um…intelligent. As far as we know, none of the other teams have realized that we are at peak form right now, so they are all bound to underestimate us. That will be the devastating mistake that will send everyone crashing to the floor as we rise to the top.)" Smorga said bitterly, his/her/its voice simmering behind a hint of confidence.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Mooncleft Rock)**

"Okay…this is a bit more of a waste of time than I would've liked!" Hamma complained.

Not only had Hamma been forced to exchange his normal blue helmet for a safety one, but his dirty-blonde hair kept falling in front of his eyes—something that was always prevented with his normal headgear. On a more optimistic note, he was nearing the top; within the short amount of time between his entrance into the task, Hamma had scrambled over three-fourths of the way up the face of the rock.

"I wonder what kinds of rods we'll be allowed to choose from up there…" Flare muttered.

Like his sibling, the Fire Brother would be using a protective helmet provided by the race, which had forced him to remove his red one. He had to brush his hair to get a clear view of his brother's progress as he scaled the mesa.

"Come on, slowpoke! I bet ya a meal at the next pit stop that I'll be able to get up there faster than you!" Flare shouted.

-----

**Beldam & Queen/Zess & Toadsworth/Husband & Wife (Clay Refining Center)**

Arriving at moderately the same time, the three teams dashed from their marked cars.

"THAT COLOR IS SO HIDEOUS! COVER IT UP!"

A disgusted Queen quickly fell behind everyone else as she avoided touching any variation on the sandy color that coated nearly the entire building's interior and exterior. Beldam managed to keep pace with the married Twilighters, while Zessworth kept at their heels. However, like the three teams before them, they were ushered into a laboratory, where an instructor proceeded to inform them of the safety rules.

"We should be caught up to Shimi and Waitress now, once we get out of here…then we'll finally be back together, alliance-wise." Husband whispered to Toadsworth, who was catching his breath.

"Indeed…that will be a good note for us."

**Shimi & Waitress/Smorgo & Smorga/To & Too (Clay Refining Center)**

Carefully measuring a silvery, plasma-like substance as she poured it into a beaker, To nervously handled the glass equipment as if it would break if she gripped it too hard.

"Easy…" Too whispered softly, watching as the liquid started to fill the beaker.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I do not even recall listening to the instructions…yet this feels so natural. How quaint.)" Smorgo muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It is a blessing. Do not take it for granted—we need to finish up fast.)" Smorga chided, controlling a test tube as he/she/it carried it over to the small pot with the clay sediment inside.

"Whoo! Go Waitress!" Shimi cheered his partner on as she quickly poured liquid into test tube, test tube substance into pot, and controlled the heat like an expert.

"Working as a waitress aboard the Excess Express didn't go wasted on the Detour. I know that Shimi and I made a smart move by skipping the Fast Forward and channeling our skills into changing the clay. He used his chef skills to confidently pour and mix chemicals, and I used my sense of balance to mix them and pour them. We were even able to interchange the roles a bit, so it was pretty interesting to see how the other functioned at something you were naturally good at, just in a different talent field." Waitress remarked.

The sounds of cooling metal could be heard as smoke blasted out of the pot of the excess workers. Seconds later, it repeated with the Smorg.

"Alright!" Waitress took the small amount of liquid steel from the pot and poured it into a light beaker that rested on a scale, causing it to tip quite a bit.

"Just a bit more seal and well be done!" Shimi said gleefully.

"Don't forget, we have to let it cool, too."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I swear, his usage of the English language is starting to bug me…so many mishaps in his speech, like a drunken man.)" Smorga groaned.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Outpost Generators)**

"Dawg, it's gettin' there! Just push it a bit more!" King called out.

"I'm tryin' my best!" Andy shouted back.

For Andy, the task of just starting making the wheel move was difficult in itself—apparently, none of the generators on the separated side of the river had seen any action for ages, causing the wood to stick to its surrounding material and be eroded by wind to the point where the gears weren't working quite right. Each step the Big Bandit took to move the wheel seemed to take a lot of effort; he grunted as he high-stepped to each spoke.

"One thing's for sure; I've got my exercise for the day…" Andy joked.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Mooncleft Rock)**

True to his word, Flare was quick about scaling the mesa, and pretty much beat Hamma's time scrambling up.

"Shut up." Hamma growled to a smirking Flare. "We'll settle this later…right now, we need to make a decision and leave."

"Heh…right."

The brothers turned towards the race official, who held out a box containing five different-colored rods in the colors of green, red, gray, white, and orange.

"Let's see…there's the Zipper Rod…the Pause Rod…the Mismatch Rod…the Purity Rod…and the Timer Rod."

Immediately, after skimming the descriptions about the effects of each rod, the eyes of the brothers lit up. Without even waiting for each other's confirmation, they both instantly reached for the gray-colored pole.

_Having completed the Hazard, Hamma and Flare have been allowed to select one of several rods that could potentially change the outcome of the race. Their selection was that of the gray pole. The Mismatch Rod may only be used at the end of a leg, and takes effect at the start of the next; it can be used regardless of whether the users are eliminated on that leg or not. This rod has a somewhat devastating effect—it allows the users to switch around players on two teams, creating two new pairs. The two teams that the users wish to switch around must be chosen before activating the rod at the end of a leg. Once the teams have been mixed, the two duos will depart at a median time between their combined arrivals from the previous leg, and they will be forced to complete the leg with their new teammates. Their overall outcome at the end of the leg is dependent on how they perform as a collective group, as one of the two sets coming in last will trigger something upon one of the original teams. This unusual dowel has a dangerous effect on the users—if they survive the leg on which they race against their victims, they will face a thirty-minute penalty for every single leg afterwards once they arrive at the pit stop._

"This'll get someone out for sure…sounds kinda risky, but risky's our style." Flare admitted.

"You've got that right." Hamma turned to the official. "So…we have to rappel back down or something?"

"Sadly, yes." The Pokey nodded. "Rappel down one at a time, then you can leave. Here…let me get you hooked on…"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga/To & Too/Shimi & Waitress/Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth/Beldam & Queen (Clay Refining Center)**

After the latter three teams finished up with the instructions, they joined the others in the chemical lab, clad in the white coats, goggles, and gloves.

"We have just a little bit over a pound in steel bits…that's good." To smiled.

"So, one more load should do it." Too concluded.

"We'll catch up to you guys soon enough, don't worry." Zess assured. "Just keep on going, and we'll be out of here shortly after."

"Right…" Shimi gave a fin up.

"THIS UGLY WHITE LAB COAT CONTRASTS MY SHADOWS! HOW DISGUSTINGLY INFURIATING!"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Annoying old hag.)" Smorga insulted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I do not understand why she acts that way…it is something I would expect from the girly residents of Poshley Heights.)" Smorgo remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, apparently a thousand years by herself did not do much good for her attitude.)" Smorga suggested.

"Babe, you were supposed to pour it into THAT beaker." Husband said crossly.

"Fine, fine…don't really see how it matters, though…" Wife rolled her eyes as she poured the substance out and washed the test tube.

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Outpost Generators)**

"Okay! Switch time!" King announced.

"Finally…"

Andy jumped down from the wheel and headed inside the generator house to switch spots with his partner, who took his spot on the wooden wheel.

"Go ahead and start." Andy directed.

"…I think you oiled it up for me, dawg…" King laughed. "It's movin' a lot better than it was when you were on."

"That's right…just take credit for my work…" Andy snorted.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Mooncleft Rock)**

"Hope we didn't lose too much time on everybody…" Hamma muttered.

"We didn't. I bet all the losers are taking forever." Flare remarked. "So we're going for the Detour, right?"

"Yeah…we don't need no Fast Forward that makes us serve others like sissies." Hamma smirked. "Besides. The generators are closer to this place."

"Then it's settled."

Hopping back into the marked car, Flare took the wheel and sent the 4x4 flying through the desert at a breakneck speed.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga/To & Too/Shimi & Waitress/Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth/Beldam & Queen (Clay Refining Center)**

"AND THESE STUPIDLY BLEAK WALLS ARE SO BORING AND CONTRAST MY SHADOWS EVEN MORE! AND THOSE UGLY TEST TUBES…"

"Does she EVER shut up?" Husband groaned irately.

"Evidently, not." Zess answered.

"Is it warm enough yet?" To asked.

"…No…it needs a bit more time to heat up before it melts." Too responded, looking at the thermometer.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I can already predict a mixed reaction occurring within the next ten seconds…oh well.)" Smorgo sighed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Indeed…shame we are still seen as stupid. They will all think we just got extremely lucky…in truth, that is only partially true.)" Smorga snorted.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 1st (Clay Refining Center)**

"Very nicely done…" The Cobrat smiled. "Surprising…you guys are almost on par with the other chemical workers in this place…nearly as fast."

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I suppose that is meant as a compliment…)" Smorgo sighed.

"…What?" Trying his best to smile, the Cobrat just stared confusedly at the Smorg, whose speech he couldn't understand. "Uh…okay…well…here."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Finally! Er-hem… 'Drive yourselves to Clayouse City, and locate the Cragranit Museum. Search for your next clue in the front hall.')" Smorga read.

_Teams must now drive themselves 53 miles through this more developed region of the Clayouse Mesas to its heart municipality, Clayouse City. Once here, they will have to locate this place—the Cragranit Museum, a highly developed archaeological center dedicated to the study of ancient civilizations. Teams will find their next clue here._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It sounds as if this place is very far away…we must hurry to keep our lead. Come!)" Smorgo commanded.

As the Smorg left the scene, Smorgo's prediction became more than just a forecast.

"…We got beaten by THEM?"

"They always seem to be so stupidly lucky…"

"How'd they…"

"MY HAIR!"

"It just bleeps getting weaker…erm, weirder…"

-----

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 2nd (Outpost Generators)**

"It looks pretty good…I guess it works." The Amp nodded hesitantly. "…Yeah. Well, here."

"Awesome!" King accepted the clue envelope and opened it. "'Drive yourselves to Clayouse City, and locate the…Cragranit Museum. Search for your next clue in the front hall.'"

"…'Cragranit Museum?'" Andy repeated.

"Uh, yeah…I guess. Whatever."

Scooping up the travel pack, Andy followed King K. out the front gate and back to the marked 4x4.

-----

**To & Too/Shimi & Waitress/Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth/Beldam & Queen (Clay Refining Center)**

"Could you come check ours, please?"

Somewhat surprised that another team was supposedly finished, the Cobrat quickly slithered over to verify.

"…Well…uh…wow. You guys are good to go."

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 3rd (Clay Refining Center)**

"Oh, thank you!" Waitress said appreciatively.

Not wasting any time in accepting the clue, the train workers hurried out of the room and down the hall, where Shimi opened the envelope and took out the familiar blue folder.

"…More long travel by car? We will be dragging tires all day!" Shimi complained.

"What?" Waitress blinked in confusion. "…Oh, never mind. Come on, we haven't lost much time on the Smorg yet…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Outpost Generators)**

"…By the looks of it, these are marked car tires…"

Frowning at the fact that there was a possibility of being in last place, the brothers took note of tire tracks in the dirt-covered parking area before rushing inside the basin.

"Yup. The door to that house is closed. Looks like someone already did this." Hamma bit his lip.

"Crap." Flare snapped his fingers. "Come on, into that one!"

"I call wheel first!"

-----

**To & Too/Husband & Wife/Zess & Toadsworth/Beldam & Queen (Clay Refining Center)**

"You've got to be kidding me…"

The Toad sisters sighed as they read their scale; unfortunately, the steel they had wasn't quite enough to reach the needed weight.

"We need to do one more batch…" To muttered.

"…That should put us over two pounds." Too added. They looked at each other simultaneously and nodded.

"…Queen, please…will you at least help me with this science experiment?" Beldam asked exasperatedly.

"AND TOUCH THOSE DIRTY CLEAR TUBES OF NO STYLE?! NEVER!"

"…She has quite a voice box…" Toadsworth murmured, plugging his ear area.

"Babe, now calm down…" Wife said, tugging on her spouse's shirt.

"I'm trying…but…" Husband closed his eyes as he struggled to find words.

"THINGS THAT ARE CLEAR CLEARLY HAVE NO STYLE OR TASTE WHATSOEVER! IT'S JUST SO RIDICULOUS!"

"…Queen, will you SHUT UP?!" Husband roared.

"DON'T YOU DARE DISTURB MY GLORIOUS SPEECH WITH YOUR INFERNAL RACKET, YOU—"

-----

"—JERKS! I don't smoke anymore!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Mineral Outpost)**

Unfazed by the outburst of the Gritty Goomba, the Smorg watched as he stooped away, pulling out a cigarette.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Great. Now what? All we have to go by is our own recollections from random magazine clippings, travel ads, and map scraps. Apparently, leaving the window open was not the best idea…)" Smorgo huffed.

"SMORGSMORG (We could always just by another map, you realize.)" Smorga replied dryly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (That is a waste of money. Why would we spend what little we have on such a trivial item?)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Because. We need it to get to our next destination. Would you rather be stuck out in the midst of the desert for the rest of your life?)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I do not care! We are not spending—WHO IS THAT?!)"

Smorgo slammed part of his/her/its body into the gas pedal before the other marked car could pass.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Mineral Outpost)**

"Whoa! What the heck was that all about, dawg? Seems like we gots some reckless rivals!" King said sourly.

"I don't know…I can't really tell who that is."

"Oh, I do, yo. See the shortitude? Obviously the Smorgs."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Outpost Generators)**

"This isn't so bad…" Hamma remarked, stepping on the wheel with seemingly no problem.

"Hurry it up a bit out there!" Flare shouted. "Yur takin' forever!"

"Shut up!"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 4th (Clay Refining Center)**

"Thank you!" Zess accepted the envelope from the Cobrat.

"Let's make haste, old bean!" Toadsworth urged.

The elderly Toads headed out of earshot from the others and opened the clue.

"…Okay…Clayouse City. I remember seeing that on the map." Toadsworth recalled.

"Great! Then we'll have no problems in getting there!" Zess said cheerfully.

**To & Too/Husband & Wife/Beldam & Queen (Clay Refining Center)**

"We're still behind…and I've only got one load done!" Beldam cried irately.

"Well, if you were doing your fair share like me, we'd be totally finished by now!" Queen sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"…" Beldam emitted a low growl under her breath.

"Just let it cool, and we'll have over two pounds." Too directed.

"That'll be good…hopefully we can make up for lost time, since we didn't quite make it with our second one…" To lamented.

"How'd Toadsworth and Zess finish ahead of us?" Wife asked. "This just ain't right…we're losin' it!"

"You're right 'bout that…but it's 'cause you kept pourin' into wrong stuff." Husband pointed out.

"Oh shut up. It's not like you haven't messed up." Wife retorted.

"I never said I didn't!" Husband said heatedly.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Clayosue Mesas)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I am telling you for the final time. We are not going to head back to get a map. If we get lost, we will merely redirect ourselves to a new road or just follow the commoners.)" Smorgo spat.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (But what if they go the wrong way as well? There is no telling!)" Smorga argued.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGS (Just leave it alone!)" Smorgo yelled.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Clayouse Mesas)**

"Seems like something is wrong…they're going kind of slow." Andy remarked. "Try and pass 'em. I think they're confused."

"Are they ever." King snorted. "The Smorg ain't intelligent enough to know how to eat with a fork and spoon, dawg."

As King K. drove around the slow-moving 4x4 of the Smorg, aggravated Smorg-speak could be heard that will not be translated for the sake of content rating.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Clayouse Mesas)**

"It's still a long way to get to Clayouse City…we only left Mineral Outpost a few minutes ago." Waitress sighed.

"We'll get there soon enough." Shimi reassured, waving his fin. "Besides. With me diving, you have nothing to worry around."

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 5th (Clay Refining Center)**

"It's over two pounds, but I guess since it didn't have to be exact." The Cobrat shrugged and handed over a clue.

"That's okay…making steel out of clay was fun!" To exclaimed.

"Come on, let's open this out there."

Heading out the doors just as other teams had before them, the sisters huddled close in the hallway as they opened their envelope.

"We're going to a place called Clayouse City…" Too murmured. "That sounds like the main city of this desert."

"Good. Main places usually aren't too hard to find." To said optimistically.

Retracing their steps, the Toads eventually managed to make it back outside to their marked car.

**Husband & Wife/Beldam & Queen (Clay Refining Center)**

"This is getting ridiculous…how long does it take for this stupid mixture to boil?" Wife asked.

"It'd help if you put the mixture OVER the burner." Husband said matter-of-factly, pushing Wife's hand over the fire.

"HEY! Babe, don't do that! I need gloves!" Wife shrieked, dropping the beaker and its contents on the floor.

"…Urgh…"

"Wow. And I thought I had problems with a partner." Beldam remarked. "Oh well. I guess it's for the best."

Queen seemed to nod in agreement as drool escaped from her sleeping figure.

"It was plumb bizarre. We were workin' together to the best of our ability to temper the clay and get it to turn to steel, and havin' such a hard time with it! And there comes Beldam, who's workin' by herself, slow-paced since she ain't got nothin' but a snob for a partner…it was outlandish. Something was just amiss." Husband shook his head.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Outpost Generators)**

"I don't know who you were saying was the slowpoke earlier, but I guess you can see into the future. It's you!" Hamma laughed.

"Shut up, bro! If you weren't so slow, you wouldn't have to worry about me being slow!" Flare retorted. "…Which I'm NOT!"

"Whatever, man."

The Hammer Brother turned his attention to the battery, which was almost completely charged. The wires attached to its top crackled with electricity as it coursed through.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Clayouse Mesas)**

"We keep following this road until we see the exit. We're going to take it." Zess informed her partner.

"That sounds very taxing, old bean. Wouldn't the exit be hard to spot?" Toadsworth asked.

"I don't think so. In fact, it looks like that's it up there." Zess pointed over the seat.

"My goodness! It isn't even appropriately labeled…" Toadsworth sighed, turning the wheel to steer the 4x4 to the exit.

**To & Too: Sisters (Clayouse Mesas)**

"Okay…this might be a long drive." Too said, fiddling with her green hair to tie it back. "We're going to be following several long stretches of road."

"Really…well, it's probably half as long as we had to drive just to get here from the Beanbean Kingdom." To remarked.

"Oh, look at that!"

The sisters were temporarily awed as the 4x4 passed by a Goomba-shaped mesa with a flat head.

"I wonder if that Goomba was carved by nature or by other Goombas…" To whispered.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 6th (Outpost Generators)**

"Alright!"

Celebrating as the Amp used a weak electricity jolt to hand over the envelope, the major league fighters rushed to get themselves out of the generator area.

"We have to go to some stupid place called Clayouse City…" Hamma remarked. "That sounds so boring…a museum…"

"…Tch, yeah." Flare sighed. "Well, let's get going anyways. We might still be behind everyone because of that Hazard."

After getting into the 4x4, Flare backed the vehicle out of the parking lot of the Mineral Outpost Generators while Hamma quietly studied the map, looking for the best route.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 7th (Clay Refining Center)**

"FINALLY you finish, Beldam! Gosh, you're so slow, not doing your share of the work…" Queen flipped her hair in disgust as she ripped open the clue.

"But I…" Beldam trailed off. "GRAH! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!"

"Yes, yes, dear, don't we all…" Queen waved her off, ignoring her as she read the Route Info. "Oh, okay, come on. We still have some last-place losers behind us…wink, wink, nudge, nudge."

"Babe, calm down…" Wife gritted her teeth.

"…I'm…as…calm as can be…" Husband responded as he turned up the heat on the burner.

"Come on and move, you wench!" Queen exclaimed vivaciously, noting the tension in her partner's body.

"…You are so weird." Beldam muttered as she followed Queen outside. "I'll never understand you."

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Clayouse Mesas)**

"Take the next exit…" Waitress directed.

"Right!" Shimi complied. "You think we can catch up to the Smorg? I haven't seen them yet."

"Neither have I…I think it's sorta…oh, what's that up there?" Waitress pointed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Clayouse Mesas)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I cannot believe this…)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMROGSMORG (They better not take too long with the replacement.)"

Unbeknownst to the crew, the Smorg were actually frustrated and quite flustered over the fact that their car had for some reason, broken down on the side of the road quite some way from Mineral Outpost.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Oh, great. Another marked vehicle is passing us…this is where it all goes downhill…)" Smorga said bitterly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quite right…none of these jerks will stop to assist things such as us…)" Smorgo growled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (They only care for themselves and how they play this little, fickle game…a waste of life. How pathetic can this generation become?)"

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in Last (Clay Refining Center)**

"Thank you." Wife bowed to the Cobrat and hurriedly opened the envelope.

"This isn't good, babe…we gotta quicken the pace." Husband urged.

"I think I know that, dear." Wife answered. "…Cragranit Museum in Clayouse City. Alright; let's go!"

Rushing with the greatest urgency that they'd had ever since their pit stop sprint in the first leg, the Twilighters hurried out of the laboratory and to their 4x4.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Clayouse Mesas)**

"I really wish I knew what you were saying…then maybe we could help." To frowned.

"Yeah…really sorry." Too apologized.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…I assume that these females are the kindest out of the bunch…very strange.)" Smorgo murmured.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (They even bothered to stop and comfort us…that makes me feel so much better.)" Smorga mused. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (…I do not understand these emotions…)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Nor do I…)" Smorgo admitted.

"…Um…oh…okay…uh…hope your replacement gets here…" Too murmured.

"Uh…we have to go." To laughed nervously.

Feeling somewhat awkward, yet somewhat enlightened at the same time, the sisters drove off.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…I guess that they are not jerks, then. How interesting…)" Smorgo sighed thoughtfully.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Clayouse Mesas)**

"Geez…50 miles is a bucketload of crap…why does this stupid desert have to be so spaced out?" Flare questioned. "Why?"

"Tch. Don't ask me." Hamma responded.

"I just hope we can get to the pit stop in time to be able to watch the havoc unfold next leg…" Flare laughed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Clayouse Mesas)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It is about time that our back-up arrived.)"

After having watched several other marked cars pass by, the Smorg weren't ready to wait and watch to see if there were anymore—the vehicle was out of sight even before the replacement crew could finish hooking up the broken down 4x4.

"SMORGSMROGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Heh, suckers. It is a good thing that there was a map included with this car…how oddly ironic that we have a stroke of luck to keep us in this.)" Smorgo snickered.

-----

Clayouse City, the very center of the Clayouse Mesas desert region, was built upon a small mesa itself. Unlike the surrounding towns and villages, which were mostly made up of small buildings and centers, the city had many tall buildings and skyscrapers that at first could have been mistaken as a mirage. Despite the fact that the city was already built on a ridge, several other very small mesas littered the outskirts of the metropolis.

The first marked car entered the city, and its occupants were quick in locating the Cragranit Museum. Upon arriving at the building, the team noticed its relatively small frame and stone build—the craggy appearance made it look extremely old.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 1st (Cragranit Museum, Clayouse City)**

"This should be it…"

Pushing through the front doors, the Glitz Pit minor leaguers were relieved to be greeted by the all-too familiar appearance of a stand-alone clue box. King K. took an envelope out, closed the lid, tore off the strip, and pulled out Route Info to begin reading.

"Ahem… 'Make your way to the Redstone Temple. Once there, take a snapshot of the tapestry inside. Use this picture to figure out the location of your next clue.'"

_Teams must now drive themselves 2 miles through Clayouse City to this place on the edge of town: Redstone Temple, a shrine with one of the greatest views of the Clayouse Mesas desert that specializes in superstitions and studies involving alignments between the mesas and celestial objects. Using one of the provided cameras at the temple, teams will need to take a snapshot of the main tapestry. When the picture develops, teams will need to figure out that they took a photo of Engraving Flats, a mesa viewable from the outside of the temple. Here, at this archaeological site, approximately a mile away from the temple, teams will find their next clue._

"The pit stop is comin' close…I can feel it now!" Andy exclaimed.

"Don't forget we got a Roadblock first, dawg." King reminded.

Not wanting to lose their lead, the homeboys exited the museum and got back into their 4x4.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 2nd (Cragranit Museum, Clayouse City)**

"'…Use this picture to figure out the location of your next clue.'" Waitress concluded. "That sounds cool…I just hope we don't have to go searching around the city for whatever we take a picture of…"

"Well, the frogs are against us in the race…we probably croak." Shimi said absentmindedly.

"…Wha…What?"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 3rd (Cragranit Museum, Clayouse City)**

"Redstone Temple…okay." Zess closed the Route Info folder. "That doesn't sound too hard to find. It's probably on the map."

"In any case, we should hurry, old bean." Toadsworth commented.

"Of course, Toadsy-worthsy." Zess giggled as Toadsworth opened and held the door open for her.

-----

True to its name, Redstone Temple's exterior was covered in a soft reddish hue that signified its building material. Its architecture was reminiscent of several styles—ancient pillars held up the outside roof, while towering pointed caps rose from the top crown. Inside of the temple were several rows of red and gold cushions arranged neatly on the tiled floor, with cameras resting on several of them. The arrangement formed a walkway that led straight up to the majestic woven tapestry that hung from the ceiling in the front of the temple. However, the embroidery seemed somewhat old and falling apart, as some of the tight strings had unwoven themselves, causing the inscribed picture to become slightly distorted.

**Andy & King: Homeboys (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

"I really hope we won't have to follow some ritual or anything just to enter…" Andy whispered jokingly.

Fortunately, the Spiky Snifit guarding the door didn't force the duo to take off their shoes or perform any other act of respect; they were allowed to head straight in.

"Think we're gonna need this, yo?" King picked up one of the cameras.

"Yeah…we probably will." Andy nodded, staring at the old needlework on display.

"Let's see…" King set the flash on the camera to off, and took a picture. "Cool…this here's a quick-development camera…"

"Hey, careful not to smudge it…it could go good in a scrapbook…" Andy protested, noticing King's handling of the photograph.

After waiting several seconds, the homeboys looked at the developed picture of the mesa.

"Whoa…major déjà vu, man…" King pointed outside. "It's like we're almost in a hall of reflectors or something…"

"You're right! I think that the tapestry shows the view of the mesa before all these buildings were built!" Andy exclaimed. "Wow, that was easy. Come on, that's where the clue box is!"

"King K. and I aren't archaeologists or anything, but one thing's for sure. I'm a rumor-gatherer and a collector. I collect anything from photographs to superstitions to souvenirs. The race in itself is a stronghold of memories, too…that's what I like about it so much. You get to apply yourself…apply everything you've got, whether you need to or not. I mean, I've used my talent of knowing odd facts more than once already, and they've helped out." Andy chuckled.

Relieved about how simple the task was, the minor leaguers headed back to their marked vehicle and took off for the mesa in the distance.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4th (Cragranit Museum, Clayouse City)**

"We get to take a picture as part of the clue?" To queried. "That's kind of strange…"

"Yeah…we already take our own pictures for Two back home…" Too shrugged. "Oh well. If the race requires it, I guess we should."

"I guess…"

As the Toad sisters headed back outside, it became apparent that the pockets for their jackets had a specific use—holding spots for digital cameras.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

"This picture looks somewhat familiar…" Waitress said, looking at the tapestry as Shimi took a photo.

"Didn't we see it while we were diving here—er, driving here?" Shimi questioned.

"Yeah…I think so." Waitress took the picture from the camera and studied it as it developed. "Um…let's see…"

Unknowingly, the train workers missed their best chance to figure out what the inscribed picture showed when they walked out of the temple.

"I think we should wait for someone else and try to get some help…I don't really know." Waitress sighed in defeat.

"It looks really, really memorable! I just can't put my fin on it…" Shimi added. "Uh…let's see…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

"Oh, look, Zess! We've caught up to our alliance partners, Shimi and Waitress!" Toadsworth observed.

"Splendid!" Zess clapped as they were parked right next to their friends.

"Hey, guys…go ahead and take your picture. Maybe you can help us…" Waitress said, scratching her head in confusion.

"Will do."

Holding hands, the elderly Toads stepped into the temple. Toadsworth picked up a camera and took a picture with it.

"Is that what I think it is?" Zess queried. "It looks like just another mesa…"

"Well, it must be significant if we're taking a picture of its very own tapestry…" Toadsworth pointed out.

"Let's see here…oh! Would that be it?" Zess turned Toadsworth's attention to the scene shown through the entryway. Sure enough, it was the same image from the textile, only with a few buildings obscuring the picture.

"Indeed, I think it is! Good job, my zesty little Zess!" Toadsworth teased.

"Did you guys take it?" Shimi asked as the Toads came out of Redstone Temple.

"Yep! And we know where it is, too. Come on; you can follow us!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 5th (Cragranit Museum, Clayouse City)**

"Urgh! If anything deserves to have a tapestry made of it, it is me!" Queen shouted. "That little quilt better be an extravagant picture of me, or I'm tearin' it down!"

"…You can't do that…" Beldam said warningly.

"And why NOT?"

"Because. You're a narcissistic idiot."

"…WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME?!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 6th (Cragranit Museum, Clayouse City)**

"Oh, gosh no." Hamma complained as he noticed the ladies exiting the museum.

"AND I CAN'T EVEN SPELL NARCISSISTIC, SO DON'T USE WORDS YOU VERY WELL KNOW THAT I CAN'T SPELL! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

Trying their best to ignore the Shadow Queen as Beldam stuffed her into the marked 4x4, the brothers headed into the Cragranit Museum.

"Clue box…" Flare opened the black box and took out an envelope. "What have we got here…"

"Well?"

"…We need to go to a temple now… Redstone Temple. Take a picture of a tapestry…okay, that's just stupid."

"You got that right." Hamma agreed.

-----

Engraving Flats was the smallest mesa out of all the surrounding rock structures. However, it was the only one that had tunnels going in and out of its rocky body. Inside of the tunnels, along the walls, were rows upon rows of strange, enigmatic inscriptions of lines, dots, shapes, and thousands of other symbols. Small lanterns were hung from the ceiling approximately every fifty feet all throughout the passageways.

**Andy & King: Homeboys- Currently in 1st (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"Yup, this is definitely it." Andy said, pulling the car up to a parking area. "There's our friend, the clue box, right over there."

Jumping out of the car with the backpacks in preparation for the pit stop, the homeboys ran over to the container and pulled out an envelope.

"Hoo, boy…it's a Roadblock." King announced. "'Who is ready to play detective?'"

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person can perform any more than eight on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock, a team member will have to search the carved tunnels of Engraving Flats for this small chamber, which contains several identical stone plates with characters much like the ones on the walls written on. After retrieving one and bringing it back outside, the team member will need to use a letter appearance key to figure out the location of the possible pit stop for this leg of the race—the top of Engraving Flats. Once the person correctly unscrambles the letters to spell out the phrase "The pit stop is on top of Engraving Flats," which corresponds with all symbols on the plate, they will be allowed to travel on foot to the pit stop mat. This remarkable lookout point atop a historically important structure is the possible pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here may be eliminated._

"I think that's me…besides, you had all the fun surfing in the ocean." Andy recalled. "Let me see… 'Search the tunnels for a chamber containing stone plates, and bring one back outside. Then, use a key to decipher the location of the pit stop. Once you have completed it, get the okay to travel there by foot.' Sounds good."

"Good luck, dawg!" King said as Andy dropped his heavy backpack and headed inside the tunnel.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

Pausing to take a picture of the exterior of the temple, the sisters stepped inside.

"Look at all these pillows…I wonder how often they do processions and rituals here…" Too murmured, picking up a camera, but not before touching the exquisite softness of one of the cushions.

"By the looks of it, pretty often…" To giggled. "Come on, take the picture!"

"Okay…" Too snapped a photo and took the developing paper out.

After waiting a few seconds, the Toad girls looked at the photo.

"It looks like…another mesa?" To queried. "Hmm…"

"Oh, there!" Too pointed.

Right as the two had exited the temple, Too had noticed the similarity between the picture and the scene before them.

"Great job! That's gotta be it!" To congratulated.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress- Currently in 2nd & 3rd (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

King K. looked up as two more marked 4x4s arrived on the scene.

"Who's this we've got…" King mused. "…Oh. Zessworth and Shim-stress got game…come on, Andy! Hurry it up!"

"There's the clue box! You guys were right!" Waitress energetically gave both Zess and Toadsworth a hug. "We are SO lucky to have you guys…"  
"Hey, can't I have a hug?" Shimi asked.

"Looks like someone feels left out…" Zess joked.

"Oh, of course!" Waitress laughed, squeezing the Cheep-Cheep until his eyes bulged.

"That's…good…you can…stop now…" Shimi patted Waitress with his fin.

"Here, you two lovebirds…" Toadsworth handed an envelope to the train workers and opened one for himself and Zess.

"Roadblock…" Waitress started.

"'Who is ready to play detective?'" Toadsworth quoted. "Zess, it doesn't matter to me who does it; we would probably be equally matched."

"Alright. In that case, I'll make up for you solving the puzzle for the Beanbean kingdom." Zess decided. "Here, let me see."

"I think I might be able to do this one…I don't want our Roadblock count uneven." Shimi offered.

"Okay." Waitress agreed, opening the card. "…You two can search for the plate together, but you just can't solve the puzzle by helping each other."

"It's good enough for me. Come on." Zess ushered.

Toadsworth and Waitress watched as their respective partners headed into the nearest tunnel entrance to the mesa.

**Andy (Engraving Flats,Mesa Tunnels)**

"Crap…where is this stupid room with the stone plates?" Andy muttered to himself, reading the clue card over and over in his mind.

The Big Bandit rounded another lit corner.

"I'm starting to think that whoever made this race route was a REALLY big fan of mazes…" Andy sighed, turning back around after encountering a dead end.

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in 7th (Cragranit Museum, Clayouse City)**

"We're so far behind…there are barely any clues left in this box." Wife sighed.

"Don't worry, babe. The Smorg were still stranded when we passed 'em. They shouldn't be catchin' up any time soon, so we're good for the meantime." Husband reassured.

"I guess…" Wife shrugged. "Let's see…Redstone Temple…we need to take a picture of the tapestry inside and use it to figure out where we're going next."

"That sounds like something one of the others would be good at…" Husband shook his head. "We need to catch up."

-----

**Shimi/Zess (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"These inscriptions are so confusing…they're making my bed hurt…I mean, my head hurt…" Shimi whined.

"I don't know if they even mean anything. It's best to ignore them and just look for tunnels and other passageways that could possibly lead to the tablets." Zess said.

"Here's one!"

**Andy (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"Sounds like there's someone else already here with me…" Andy murmured, hearing distant voices echo off the walls.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

"Okay. That was STUPID. The tapestry is just a mirror of the view from the temple? How idiotic can you get?"

Somewhat disdained by the simplicity of the task, the brothers exasperatedly headed back to their marked car.

"That had to be the lamest extra task in the history of extra-lame extra tasks." Hamma groaned.

"Shut up before I have to get my ears gouged out from your idiocy." Flare stated sardonically.

"Shut up, nerd."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

"Darn, they already figured it out!" Beldam muttered something incoherent under her breath before heading inside the temple.

"Ooh…class-AYE!" Queen cried sassily. "Now THIS is lavish…"

As the Shadow Queen plopped down on one of the red satin pillows, Beldam picked up a camera. She took a moment to feel the softness of the cushions herself while she took a snapshot of the embroidery.

"Tell me why you're taking a picture of that ratty thing again?" Queen ordered.

"It's part of the clue. Duh." Beldam sassed, holding the photograph by the corner as it developed. "Okay…we need to figure out what this is a picture of…"

"Well, if those bumbling Ham-bros. were able to figure it out, then you should, too." Queen suggested.

"No…we'll ask around." Beldam decided, heading out. "Come on. We can't waste any time."

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4th (Engraving Flats)**

"Roadblock. 'Who is ready to play detective?'" To read. "Gee, well, it could go either way with this one."

"Yeah…we both have done three, haven't we?" Too asked.

"I think so…how about if I do it?" To suggested, brushing the pink bangs not caught in her ponytail out of her face.

"If you're up to it, go ahead." Too shrugged.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Clayouse City)**

"Excuse me, but can you tell me what this tapestry picture is a picture of?" Beldam asked.

Met with a nonchalant shrug, the icy shadow moaned.

"Okay. I need an answer from someone. Now." Beldam looked around impatiently. "Excuse me…"

"If it were me out there, I would've gotten an answer already…" Queen said, brushing her hair.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in Last (Cragranit Museum, Clayouse City)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We have much catching up to do in order to catch everyone else because of that car failure.)" Smorgo commented.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You have got that right. Well, the next destination is apparently the Redstone Temple…we will have to use the plundered map to find that.)" Smorga chirped.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Fine with me. At least there is an impossibility of us getting lost.)"

The Smorg rolled back out through the doors of the museum, earning several strange looks from passerby. Smorgo took the wheel and sent the car speeding through the streets.

-----

**Shimi/Zess (Engraving Flats, Tablet Chamber)**

"Awesome! We found the stone tablets!" Zess cheered. "Now we just need to figure out how to get back out…I'm feeling a little claustrophobic in here."

"No worries. Just imagine how I feel…this is a dessert with no water!" Shimi pointed out.

"…Don't you mean a desert?" Zess asked confusedly. "…Oh, never mind. Come on."

**Andy (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"Hmm…haven't I already passed through this hall already?" Andy questioned.

**To (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"Oh, these are so cool! I wish I knew what they said!" To said brightly, scanning the walls of encryptions. "I don't think anyone would mind if I…"

Quickly taking out her digital camera, the Traveling Sister giggled, and took a few pictures of the surrounding hieroglyphs before moving on.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 5th (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"Well, well…look who has caught up." Toadsworth remarked.

"'Bout time." King smirked.

"Heh, guess the Hazard sorta held us for a bit." Hamma apologized. "Hey, we're here now, aren't we?"

"Yeah…now the heat gets turned up." Flare snickered. "Roadblock. 'Who is ready to play detective?'"

"Detective work? Oh, gosh, that's you." Hamma said forcedly. "You always were the nerdy little spitter in the family…"

"Uh…I don't know who you're talking about…you must be confusing me with Bamma." Flare lifted an eyebrow.

"Right…and my hammers don't shine like golden coins…" Hamma challenged.

"Oh, shut up! Only some kind of geekface would make an analogy!"

Toadsworth, King, Waitress, and Too sighed as they were treated to yet another of the brothers' trademark dust cloud fights.

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

"Okay…that wasn't too much trouble. It's obviously a picture of that." Husband pointed towards a mesa in the distance.

"Wait, are you sure? I think it's that one." Wife pointed towards another mesa in the distance. Both were viewable from the temple entrance.

"Great. I guess we just have to check each one, then…" Husband sighed.

Not realizing that they were overanalyzing their photo, the married Twilighters got in their car and prepared to drive towards the closest mesa.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Clayouse City)**

"Could you PLEASE help me? I've been asking people for a while now, but no one knows what the tapestry in Redstone Temple is a picture of…" Beldam pleaded. "Please, I've got to have an answer so I can get there…"

"The tapestry in temple depicts mesa viewable from temple." The Hispanic Goomba replied. "You see at entrance. Hard to miss."

"Seriously?!" Beldam cried. "I cannot believe I missed something like that…er, thank you!"

"So? What's the news, crooked-nose?" Queen asked as Beldam climbed back into the car.

"No time! We have to head back to the temple so I can see the mesa!"

-----

**Andy (Engraving Flats, Tablet Chamber)**

"Okay…I got a tablet…that's good." Andy sighed in relief as he picked up one of the lightweight stone slabs. "Now to figure out how to get out of here…"

After exiting the small room, the Big Bandit randomly chose a direction to run off in.

**Hamma (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"I cannot BELIEVE he got me to go in here…" Hamma remarked sourly. "This is beyond embarrassing…"

**King/Toadsworth/Waitress/Too/Flare (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"Sweet, sweet sunshine!"

The five hopeful teammates looked up to see the chef Cheep-Cheep and chef Toad exiting the mesa tunnels.

"Remarkable…they were able to retrieve the tablets quite quickly." Toadsworth smiled. "King, has Andy returned yet?"

"Nope, W-Toad…he ain't exited yonder hole even though we got here first." King shrugged.

"That's odd." Waitress stated.

Both chefs headed over to a designated deciphering area marked with a flag, and were ushered to separate tables by Gritty Goombas, who also provided folded, tanned sheets that were the letter appearance key.

"Let's see what this says…" Shimi opened the sheet. "…The letter 'A' appears twice…the letter 'O' appears four times…the letter 'I' appears two times…oh, geez…"

"I suppose I'll have to start from scratch on this." Zess remarked, picking up the pencil and a scratch sheet of notebook paper. "Okay…there are eight words…the seventh one appears to be quite long, so I should start with the smaller ones and start guessing letters until words fall into place…"

"It looks like they're already vexed…I hope that this challenge isn't too hard for them." Too remarked worriedly to the others.

"Eh, they'll be fine. Besides, if Hamma doesn't want his butt kicked, he'll get us to the pit stop…" Flare muttered cynically. Everyone immediately stepped away from him.

**To (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"Let's see…oh, this isn't right."

The pink-haired Toad blinked in confusion as she found herself at an unknown exit to the mesa.

"I don't need to be outside already…I need to find the tablet."

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

"Great…we missed something so simple." Beldam groaned.

Although they were in front of the temple, the shadow folk didn't need to leave their car to see that the photograph matched the scenery.

"Nice job, old hag. We just lost a bunch of time because of your lack of intelligence." Queen insulted.

"…SHUT UP!" Beldam screamed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Redstone Temple, Clayouse City)**

As an arguing Beldam and Queen left the scene in their 4x4, the Smorg pulled up to the temple.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How ironic. I was just imagining that we would be catching up to them.)" Smorgo remarked dryly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quaint, indeed.)" Smorga nodded.

Rolling into the sanctuary, the Smorg received an odd look from the Spiky Snifit guard.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Get one of the flash cameras and take a picture. We cannot waste any time in catching up to those dopes. They are getting eliminated today.)" Smorgo commanded.

Smorga obediently picked up one of the cameras and took a photograph of the tapestry. The Smorg patiently waited a few moments for the picture to develop before taking a good look at it.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I suppose this is what they returned for. The view from this door is the copy of the embroidery several years ago.)" Smorga sighed.

"SMORGSMORG (Too easy.)" Smorgo yawned.

Quickly after bouncing out of the temple, the Smorg hopped back into the marked vehicle and took chase after the departed shadow women.

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married (Pointed-Top Mesa)**

"Goodness, me…there's no clue box here." Wife muttered. "Are you sure it's this one, babe? I think it may be another one."

"Yes, I'm sure." Husband responded stubbornly. "Maybe the clue box is on top of the mesa."

"There's no way. Look at the top of that thing! It's like a mountain!" Wife exclaimed incredulously.

"Maybe we have to scale it."

"I'm telling you, that wasn't part of the clue. It has to be easily accessible!"

Sighing in defeat, Husband reluctantly turned the 4x4 around in the direction of another mesa in hopes that it was the right one.

-----

**To (Engraving Flats, Tablet Chamber)**

"Yes!" To cheered and picked up a stone tablet. "This doesn't look so hard…some of the symbols repeat. Better get out of here, though…"

After taking another moment to photograph the stack of tablets, To headed back out into the tunnels.

**Shimi & Waitress/Zess & Toadsworth/Andy & King/Too/Flare (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"It really kills me that we can't help our partners…" Waitress murmured. "Shimi looks like he's having an awfully hard time over there…"

"Don't fret, old bean. I'm sure that our fishy friend will be able to pull through and figure it out." Toadsworth reassured.

"Yeah right…" Flare snorted quietly.

As the restless team members stood around, conversing with each other, the three Roadblock participants that had already retrieved platelets were hard at work.

"There are three three-letter words here…but would one of them really be as common as 'the' or 'and?'" Andy asked himself. "Even if one was, where would I put it?"

"What's this big, strong word? Some of the symbols defeat in other faces…but what letters do they demean?" Shimi muttered. "Urgh, I'm so confused by just talking to my shelf!"

"Gee…uh…I think that since this tells where the pit stop is, two of these words are 'pit stop'…maybe it's these two…" Zess whispered. "I hope I'm right about this…"

"You'd think that since we're older than the rest of the crew, Toadsworth and I would have a natural affinity for word games, puzzles, and the like." Zess sighed. "Well, Toadsworth does. I don't. It was pretty obvious who had the brains when he figured out the Beanbean Kingdom anagram…but I felt that I should do the Roadblock in case there were some Roadblocks that he could do and I couldn't. You know, balancing everything out…but I think that it might've been a mistake at first…"

**Hamma (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"What the crap…where the heck are these stupid stones?" Hamma whined. "This is getting so old, with all these impossible mazes…"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 6th (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We pass one, and we catch up to absolutely everybody…how wonderful.)" Smorga observed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quick, read the clue. By these circumstances, it appears to be a Roadblock.)" Smorgo directed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It is. Roadblock. 'Who is ready to play detective?')" Smorga read.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (It does not matter who does this one…our counts are equal.)" Smorgo remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (In that case, you can do it. Get us our much-wanted first-place finish.)" Smorga ordered.

"I think we have some intelligent conversation going on." Flare remarked sarcastically.

Smorga gave the Fire Bro as menacing a look as possible as his/her/its partner went into the mesa.

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in 7th (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"Roadblock. 'Who is ready to play detective?'" Beldam read.

"Detective? That's stupid." Queen commented. "You should do it. Besides, I've done more than you…unsurprisingly…"

"…More like impossibly…" Beldam countered, reading the length of the Roadblock information. "I'll have this done lickety-split. Just sit tight."

"Okay, like major lame-o. That had to be the stupidest line I've ever heard." Queen said disgustedly, making a face.

Ignoring the tiara-wearing shadow, Beldam headed inside the mesa's tunnel.

**Hamma (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"Dangit…" Hamma whispered harshly, noting other shadows moving around in the lantern light. "There are others here already…"

**Smorgo (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I should have this maze done quickly using process of elimination with the tunnels…)" Smorgo mused.

**Beldam (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"Maybe if I search through the shadows, I can find the stones easier…" Beldam remarked. "After all, we ARE allowed to use our powers for things like that…shadows travel at the same speed as floating, so…"

Making up her mind, the ice-using shadow woman disappeared into the ground as a moving sphere devoid of light.

**Andy & King/Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Flare/Smorga/Queen (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"Everyone is here now…this is going to be a rough game with a lot of pressure…" Waitress commented.

"Almost everyone." Toadsworth corrected. "Our friends, Team Twilight, are still absent, I'm afraid…"

"That's good for us, then. We have some leeway in case our partners are too stupid to figure this thing out." Flare smirked.

"…You're so uncouth." Too frowned.

"YOU'RE ALL SO LOUD!" Queen complained.

Trying their best to avert their attention from the increasingly growing amount of noise over at the waiting area, the four team members working on the puzzle continued to fill in letters.

"That should be the 'a' symbol…wait, no…that isn't right…" Andy moaned, crumpling up another piece of paper.

"Hmm…" To rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "I'm starting to think I should've done those funny little word puzzles in the newspaper when I was younger…maybe this would be easier…"

**Husband & Wife: Married- Currently in Last (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"Oh, gosh…everyone is already here." Husband gritted his teeth. "How'd we drop to last?"

"Dunno. It isn't the journey; it's the destination that matters. That's the pit stop." Wife quoted. "Roadblock. 'Who is ready to play detective?'"

"It's your turn, babe."

"But dear, I don't even know what they're doing? What if you would've been better?"

"Come on. Maybe you'll be better than me; just do it! You're wasting time." Husband ushered Wife to open the card.

"…Well…it doesn't sound too bad…" Wife nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

As the female Twilighter headed into the entrance to the tunnels, Husband went over to join the others.

"Good to see you again, old bean." Toadsworth smiled. "It's been a few hours…"

"Yeah…now that we're here, the race for first and last is REALLY going to heat up." Husband looked over at the tables containing the thinking participants.

**Beldam (Engraving Flats, Tablet Chamber)**

"Whoa…that is so weird!"

Popping out from the shadows, Beldam emerged into the room containing the stone tablets.

"I had no idea that…ooh, have I got the best power or what?!" Beldam shouted excitedly, grabbing one of the few remaining tablets.

**Andy & King/Zess & Toadsworth/Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Flare/Smorga/Queen/Husband (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (What is taking Smorgo so long just to retrieve a simple tablet…it could not have been that hard.)" Smorga murmured.

"Hey, look. Someone thinks they have the answer…" Flare noticed, causing the others to fall silent.

Standing up slowly and putting down the pencil, the team member took the piece of paper that he or she had been working on to decipher the message with. Nervously walking over to the Gritty Goomba race officials, the team member handed the paper over.

"Please don't have the right answer…" Queen crossed her fingers.

After several moments of hesitation, the Gritty Goombas nodded, prompting the team member to rejoice.

"I got it! YES!"

"Great job! Where are we going?!"

"I'll tell you on the way. Come on!"

The other teams watched in disdain as the first team left the site of the Roadblock, rounding the corner of the mesa into the unknown.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (There goes our shot at first place…)" Smorga groaned.

**Hamma (Engraving Flats, Tablet Chamber)**

"Finally I got one!" Hamma slammed his fist down on a stone before picking it up. "Ow! Crud…"

**Team ? (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

The pit stop mat was laid out near the edge of the ground. Standing behind it were two figures—a familiar red Yoshi known as the co-host of The Amazing Race, and a local greeter, a Goomba whose facial markings and paints matched that of some of the symbols seen in the very mesa they were standing on.

After watching all the action unfold from atop the mesa, Blaise and the tribal Goomba were unfazed to see two heads appear from the steady ridge that led up to their raised platform. Panting heavily, the team members quickly scrambled to hold each other's hands as they jumped onto the mat.

"Welcome to Clayouse City, the center of the greatest mesa field in the world." The Goomba spoke with a thick accent.

"Thank you very much."

"It's an honor."

Once pleasantries were exchanged, the team turned to the solemn host. He lifted an eyebrow up, but when it failed to cause a reaction, he began speaking.

"Zess and Toadsworth." Blaise articulated clearly. "You…are team number one."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 1st Place, 3:07 P.M.**

"Oh, goodness that's splendid!" Zess exclaimed excitedly. "We haven't won a leg up until now!"

"Remarkable…" Toadsworth smiled. "I didn't ever think we had it in us!"

"Neither did I!"

Completely enthused about their first-place win, the elderly Toads deeply embraced. After a few moments of passionate hugging, excitement turned to embarrassment as the pair realized they were holding each other a bit too closely, causing them to hastily let go, laughing nervously.

"I have some more good news to accompany your celebrating," Blaise began, completely ignoring the romantic scene that had just unfolded. "As the winners of this sixth leg of the race, you have both won an all-expense paid trip for a two-week vacation to exquisite Tropicaland. You will hopefully be able to take pleasure in the warm, serene waters and white glistening sands of the beach, the pampering and comfort of the professional spa treatment team, and a two-person suite overlooking a romantic view of the ocean. Of course, you can only enjoy something like that AFTER the race…"

"I can feel my heart racing…that sounds like the best reward I've ever heard!" Toadsworth exclaimed happily.

"Yes, it'll give us a chance to spend even more time together on vacation after the race!" Zess agreed. "And to think, I actually helped in doing it by finishing the Roadblock!"

"Of course. You did a wonderful, wonderful job." Toadsworth murmured. He unconsciously leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

Immediately afterward, the two Toads were blushing madly as they realized what had just occurred. They both looked to check if the greeters were looking, but neither one seemed to care.

**Andy & King/Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Flare/Smorga/Beldam & Queen/Husband (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"I always knew that they were smart…" Husband murmured, looking at the spot were Zess had been sitting down.

"Yeah…to think that Zess was the first one finished. That says a lot…" Waitress agreed.

"It just means that she was a bit lucky. So what?" Queen made a face. "We're not coming in last OR second-to-last this time around. Right, Beldam?"

Beldam looked up from where she was working.

"I'm working on it…" Beldam answered. "I saw that thing…how could that fit these word spaces…"

"That ain't gonna work." Andy grumbled, wadding up yet another piece of scratch paper.

"Don't give up on me now, dawg! We're so dang close!" King encouraged.

"This may be a bit harder than I thought…" To scratched her head. "Maybe I need to switch the positions of those letters around…wait, no…"

**Wife (Engraving Flats, Tablet Chamber)**

"I…I'm not the last one here!" Wife gasped, noticing that there were a few extra stone tablets still in the pile.

Exuberant that there was still hope, the blonde-haired Twilighter rushed off through the tunnels, one of the tablets under her arm.

**Smorgo (Engraving Flats, Mesa Tunnels)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Where is this elusive stack of stone tablets? This is ridiculous that I am not able to locate it…)" Smorgo muttered.

**Andy & King/Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Hamma & Flare/Smorga/Beldam & Queen/Husband (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"It's about time you got back out here, bro!" Flare shouted.

"Shut yer trap! It ain't my fault that these things were so hard to find!" Hamma retorted.

"Everything is your fault…" Flare joked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (There is only one other team that is minus a partner and tablet…yet I cannot believe that although she arrived after, Beldam is already out here and working.)" Smorga mused.

"Shimi, are you close?" Waitress called.

"Sorta…I got a lead to borrow, but it led me to nowhere." Shimi replied. "It all just doesn't add up…"

"Um…let's see…if I plug in the name of this…oh, gosh! That's it!"

The exclamation from another team member perked everyone's attention. Standing up quickly, the Roadblock participant headed over to the Goombas.

"No way…" Husband gawked.

"That's correct…" the Gritty Goombas nodded, giving the okay.

"AWESOME!"

Happy to have figured out the puzzle, the team member reunited with the non-participant and rounded the corner of the mesa towards the climbing trail.

"You have GOT to be kidding me…"

**Smorgo (Engraving Flats, Tablet Chamber)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It is about time I finally located this unusually well-hidden room. I have got to admit, I have no clue how I was stumped with such a simple maze…)" Smorgo lamented.

With the tablet in tow, the Smorg rolled out of the chamber.

**Team ? (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

"There's Blaise! Come on!"

"You hurry up now! I'm at least one step in front of you!"

As the team made a dramatic entrance onto the mat, the tribal Goomba bowed.

"Welcome to Clayouse City, the center of the greatest mesa field in the world."

"…Whatever."

"Beldam and Queen." Blaise shook his head disbelievingly. "You are team number two."

**Beldam & Queen: Shadow Folk- 2nd Place, 3:22 P.M.**

"Second…well, I'll accept that for now." Queen said grudgingly. "I still can't believe we were beaten here by two old geezers!"

"Oh, shut up! We beat out six other teams, didn't we?" Beldam grinned.

"Since I used my shadow-moving powers to transverse the mesa, I accidentally stumbled upon Blaise and the pit stop mat while I was searching for the room with the runes. When I actually saw him, I knew that I'd be able to plug something into the tablet—after all, there's nothing that prohibits me from using my powers for something like that." Beldam said proudly. "If Queen had done it, she would've never been able to do something so complex."

Reluctantly, the Shadow Queen gave Beldam a pat on the back.

**Andy & King/Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Hamma & Flare/Smorgo & Smorga/Husband & Wife (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This is too easy…it is so obvious.)" Smorgo remarked.

"Wait…I think I've got it…"

Smorga made a happy-sounding chirp as Smorgo headed over to the Gritty Goombas. After getting the okay, Smorgo rolled over to his/her/its partner with the news.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (They cannot understand us, so I can say this out loud. The pit stop is on top of Engraving Flats. We have to go on foot; no vehicles.)" Smorgo explained.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (No problem. But we better hurry…)" Smorga trailed off, noting that another person thought they had the answer.

"Babe, what's taking so long?" Husband demanded.

"This stupid thing is so cryptic! I can't decipher or even understand it!" Wife complained.

"Well you better try before everyone freakin' leaves!" Husband snapped. "See?! Someone else just finished!"

"Hamma, come on! I know you're dense, but you're seriously not this retarded, are ya?" Flare inquired.

"Shut up, you fireball brain!" Hamma ordered.

**Team ? (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

Because of the nature in which the two teams had been released from the Roadblock area, the lagging team was unable to overtake the relatively slow-moving Smorg in a footrace.

"Welcome to Clayouse City, the center of the greatest mesas in the world."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I have seen a bit better in the route between Rogueport and Poshley Heights, but I will succumb to the fact that this is indeed, a glorious setting…)" Smorgo agreed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I disagree with your first statement…this vast valley is much better than the overly-arid desert where the station lies.)" Smorga reasoned.

"…Um…yeah…Smorgo and Smorga…" Blaise eyed the duo suspiciously. "…You are team number…oh how the heck could…urgh… You are team number three."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 3rd Place, 3:31 P.M.**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Evidently, this red dinosaur still doubts our abilities…oh well.)" Smorga sighed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Who does not? No one can tell the difference…)" Smorgo groaned.

After being shooed off the mat, the Smorg stood by to watch as the other team was ushered in.

"Andy and King." Blaise said calmly. "You are team number four."

**Andy & King: Homeboys- 4th Place, 3:32 P.M.**

"Ain't too shabby, considering what we've been through…" King shrugged. "Still…lost bunches of minutes with that Roadblock."

"My bad, man…" Andy laughed nervously.

"It's alright…we're safe; reservatives is all that matters."

**Shimi & Waitress/To & Too/Hamma & Flare/Husband & Wife (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"Oh, gosh…it's getting down to the wire…" Too clasped her hands together. "Come on, sis…you can do this."

"I really hope that it's a non-elimination leg…I don't want anyone here to…oh, um…" Waitress trailed off after realizing that Flare was still standing next to her.

"COME ON, YOU STRATEGY GEEK! SOME OF THOSE GUYS BEHIND US ARE ALREADY DONE!" Flare yelled.

"ARGH! Shut up!"

"Just ignore them…" Wife whispered to herself.

While the Hammer and Fire Brothers argued back and forth instead of working separately, another participant stood up. The racer quietly handed the work over to one of the Gritty Goombas.

"…What neat handwriting…um…it's right."

"Really?! Yes!"

As the racer and the corresponding partner caught up with each other, another team member stood up.

"Please tell me I'm right…"

"Uh…no. Not even close." The Gritty Goomba rolled his eyes.

"UGH, DARN IT! HOW IS EVERYONE FINISHING THIS?!" Hamma yelled. "I wrote something down, geez! What do I have to do, bribe you?!"

**Team ? (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

Panting somewhat heavily from the run up the path to the top of Engraving Flats, the team leaped onto the mat.

"Welcome to Clayouse City, center of the greatest mesa field in the world."

"Thanks."

"To and Too." Blaise stated. "You are team number five."

**To & Too: Sisters- 5th Place, 3:57 P.M.**

"Fifth isn't too bad…we're in a semi-good position for tomorrow, right?" To said cheerfully.

"Yeah. As long as we're still hanging in there, we're perfectly okay with being team number five." Too added.

**Shimi & Waitress/Hamma & Flare/Husband & Wife (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"If this doesn't work, nothing will…"

Waitress, Flare, and Husband watched in anticipation as another person headed up to the Gritty Goombas. After scanning the work, the officials nodded.

"Awesome!"

"Come on, we can go to the pit stop now!"

Needless to say, the two remaining teams were upset that they were now fighting to stay out of last place.

**Team ? (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

"Welcome to Clayouse City, the greatest mesa center in the world!"

"Thank you…"

"We're chafed, right?"

"…" Blaise gave the two a weird look. "Shimi and Waitres… You are team number six."

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 6th Place, 4:10 P.M.**

"Phew…I thought we might need to have a penalty added or something…" Shimi sighed in relief.

"Well, that's good…I just hope that Husband and Wife make it…" Waitress frowned.

**Hamma & Flare/Husband & Wife (Engraving Flats, Archaeological Site)**

"Come on, man…stand up and try something…" Flare whispered loudly.

"We can't go home today…not after everything we've already gone through…" Husband gulped.

Unexpectedly, one of the left over team members stood up, paper clenched in hand. The person ran over to the Gritty Goomba race officials and handed over the answer.

"…This is…right. You may proceed."

**Team ? (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

Relieved with the knowledge that there was still one team stuck at the Roadblock, the pair walked over to the pit stop mat to check in.

"Welcome to Clayouse City, the greatest field of mesas in the world."

"Thanks."

Blaise stared the two down hard, easily unnerving them.

"…Well?"

"…Hamma and Flare." Blaise confirmed with a nod as he spoke, "You're team number seven."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 7th Place, 4:31 P.M.**

"Whoa…way too close for comfort…" Flare heaved a huge exhale.

"Yep…at least I pulled it off." Hamma managed to chuckle.

"Wait, hold up…we need to…"

"Oh, right…"

Pulling the Mismatch rod out from his travel pack, Hamma selected two team pictures from the small screen at the base. He then slammed down the red button directly above it, confirming his decision of switching around two teams.

Blaise smirked.

"…Well…it appears even after this harrowing finish, you two are still looking for trouble, aren't you?"

**Husband & Wife: Married (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

After finally managing to make the puzzle work out, the married Twilighters were allowed to walk the trail up to the mesa top.

"Welcome to Clayouse City." The tribal Goomba tried to smile pleasantly.

"Thanks…" Wife sniffed.

Eyes downcast, the wedded duo turned to the red Yoshi.

"Husband and Wife." Blaise said solemnly. "You are the last team to arrive."

**Husband & Wife: Married- Last Place, 4:56 P.M.**

"We could've figured that…" Husband shook his head. "Just skip straight to the point, will ya?"

"Yeah…I just want to get this over with…" Wife sniveled.

"…I am sorry to tell you that you have both been eliminated from the race." Blaise apologized hesitantly.

At this point, Wife broke out into large sobs as Husband patted her back and gave her a hug.

"…That's alright…we did our best." Husband said regretfully. "We didn't always agree or work together…but that was the whole point of it all…seein' what flaws were in our relationship and making attempts to fix 'em."

"Over the course of this race, I feel that Wife and I really made the best of our short-lived trip. We made many new friends with the competition, and we got to see several new places and do things we woulda never dreamed of doin'. It made me realize how much I loved not only life, but also the woman of my dreams." Husband explained. "Of course, we have our ups and downs…but in the end, we're still a married couple, right? I woulda never have had it any other way. We made it through as a team, arguing, loving, and understanding all the way."

"Although I feel really guilty about letting Husband down because of one single task, I know that it was a gradual slope that dropped us into the pit. We just couldn't pull ourselves together to work right, and in the end, it snapped at us." Wife sighed. "I admit, I am still the indecisive one, while he's the choice whiz of our marriage…but I was able to make a decent contribution. Luckily, this whole experience was and never would've been wasted. I know now that I have friends in nearby places to where I live…and one of them is closest to my heart. It's sad, really, that we're so sappy, but then again, isn't all love that way?"

"I never was good at word puzzles…" Wife hiccupped.

"It's alright, babe…I'm not, either." Husband smiled gently. "Anyways, I prob'ly woulda done worse than you."

"Dear, you're just being nice…"

"Of course. I want to be all the time, now that we're out of such high-stress situations."

The sunlight seemed to radiantly reflect off of Husband's glasses as he lifted his spouse into the air with a giant hug. Giggling lightly, she responded by hugging him back, causing him to put her down. Shortly after getting over their sadness, the married couple said their good-byes to Blaise and the local greeter. Then, they headed back towards the trail leading off the mesa, their normally shadowed faces glimmering with a bittersweet contentment.

As the sun slowly began its descent down into a hiding place below the mountainous rock cliffs that enclosed the desert, it caused all of the mesas to cast growing shadows, each seeming to extend their emotions towards Engraving Flats. Despite the fact that a well-respected team had lost the game, the members' faith in each other and themselves had swelled to the point where their bond would have covered the expansive wilderness of the Clayouse Mesas.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth/Beldam & Queen/Smorgo & Smorga/Andy & King/To & Too/Shimi & Waitress/Hamma & Flare (Pit Stop)**

Because Engraving Flats itself did not feature any buildings or shelters of any type (besides absent temporary tents and campsites usually used by archaeological teams), the seven remaining teams had been sent to a small, quaint lodge on the very edge of Clayouse City. After getting all of the major business taken care of, such as interviews and depositing personal belongings in separate suites, the duos had been gathered together into an informal meeting room that featured white couches and green potted plants.

It was very clear to see that the allies of Husband and Wife were sad to have two of their best friends leave; Zess, Toadsworth, Shimi, and Waitress seemed very quiet and downcast, whereas the other groups were refreshed and brimming with energy with the relief of knowing that they had survived the sixth leg of the grueling race.

As the pairs got settled down into the comfortable sofas, an all-too familiar, yet grim, face appeared on the scene.

"Good evening, everyone…I take it that you all are more then ready to stuff yourselves before you turn in to prepare for tomorrow's departures." Blaise recited coolly, as if he was reading straight off of a piece of paper. "Well, I have some…interesting…news for you guys."

"We're finally allowed to take along a make-up artist?!" Queen interrogated.

"…" Blaise ignored her. "Earlier today, one of the teams sitting here completed the Hazard."

At this, the Toad sisters looked at each other worriedly, since they knew the powers of some of the rods available to completers of the Hazard.

"That team chose to take the Mismatch Rod. And now, the troublemakers are still at it. They activated it at the end of this leg." Blaise turned towards the brothers. "Hamma and Flare. Please stand."

Smirking, the Glitz Pit major leaguers obediently stood up.

"Before activating the Mismatch Rod, these two were required to choose two teams. But before that, I guess I should fill you in on the basic idea of what they can do." Blaise paused for a moment. "Put simply…they are able to switch around two team members for the upcoming leg."

"What?!" Beldam said, startled.

"Is that even possible?" Too murmured.

"No freakin' way…" King narrowed his eyes.

"Goodness…" Toadsworth protectively grabbed onto Zess, who blushed.

"SMORGSMORG (…They better leave us untouched.)" Smorga said warningly.

"That gleams so unshared!" Shimi cried.

"…Yeah. The two teams that they chose will be swapped around so that the partners are different. Both teams will leave at an interval between their arrivals, and let me add this—they may also have chosen themselves." Blaise cued the brothers.

"Well, we would've loved sabotaging from the inside, but that ain't our style…" Hamma sneered.

"Yeah, seriously. We want to watch the drama unfold from the outside." Flare added.

"Give it to them. Who did you switch around for the seventh leg of the race?" Blaise commanded.

"…From the start, we were always really interested in the names of everyone here." Hamma began, searching for words. "Now that we've got this, we thought of something really good."

"Yup. Who here ever thought that we'd have a King and Queen racing together?" Flare joked.

Nearly every single jaw in the room dropped. The only sound breaking the silence was the stifled laughter of the brothers, who were enjoying every second that they got to take in the surprised looks of all the teams—especially that of King K. and the Shadow Queen.

"And of course, that means that the mismatched names will be dating for a day…Andy and Beldam." Flare included.

"NOW HOLD ON JUST A MINUTE! How do you expect me to work with someone who I don't even LIKE?!" Queen shouted.

"…Right back at ya, sister…" King muttered under his breath.

"You tell us that." Hamma snickered. "'Sides. We wanted to have a little…fun…while we still can."

Writhing with anger, the shadow folk glowed with the power of shadows and ice as they headed forward towards two newly acquired targets that were laughing like hyenas.

"That's enough." Blaise cut in. "King and Queen. Andy and Beldam. This is their choice. I'm sorry, but you'll have to go with it. Basically, here are the guidelines…you'll leave at the median time from which you guys arrived. However, how you come in to the pit stop will denote everything. You see, if one of you swapped-around teams comes in last, one of the original teams will be meeting with the consequences once you're put back in your place. If it's an elimination leg, one or the other will be gone. If it's non-elimination, one or the other will be earning themselves the penalty. Get the basic gist?"

The four nodded dumbly.

"Your money will be pooled together and split among you evenly for tomorrow, so that is something you won't have to worry about. You'll be required to complete all tasks with your new teammate until the end of the leg, at which point you'll be placed back into your regular teams."

"Hold on." To spoke up. "This sounds really heavy on the recipients…what will happen to the Ham-bros.?"

"Yeah…the Hazard rods are supposed to have some kind of equally destructive effect on the users." Too recalled.

"…You're absolutely right. But now, we all know who also has some Hazard power." Blaise reprimanded, causing the girls to giggle nervously. "Well…for every leg until the end of the race that Hamma and Flare make it to a pit stop…they will receive a thirty-minute penalty to be added to their time, regardless of what placement they make. During those thirty minutes, any team that checks in will cause them to drop in placement…" the red Yoshi turned towards the brothers. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste any more time. If other teams overtake you during that penalty, you could possibly arrive first and even be eliminated on the same leg."

That statement definitely shut Hamma and Flare up.

"Well, that was all I needed to discuss with you all. Play hard and travel safe…most likely I'll be seein' most of you later…but not all of you…"

With a small, but unnoticed laugh, Blaise exited the room. This left an entire space of shock—the newly-swapped teams were mostly speechless, and the brothers were silently planning how they would avoid being fell by the haunting penalties. The other uninvolved teams definitely had their own opinions on the matter, as several of them looked sympathetically at the two new teams: Andy and Beldam, and King and Queen.

-----

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_As teams travel from the arid Clayouse Mesas to the more frenzied desert environment of another region, several find themselves more annoyed by the weather than others._

"This is sick! What is with all this stupid swirling wind and all the sand! It's driving me nuts!" Flare complained.

"It's kind of hard to breathe safely with all of this sand flying around…" Zess murmured, bringing her shirt over her mouth for protection.

_For the first time, the sisters are forced to stand up for themselves as they are confronted._

"Seriously. We got here first for the reservations, so you shouldn't try to cut in front of us." To warned.

"These ticket agents are meant for everybody, girls. She's going to help us get on that charter right now."

"You can't do that!" Too argued.

_And one of the mismatched teams finds that their combination may result in a last-place gamble that could cost them the race._

"I just really ain't used to workin' with women like you, Queenie." King apologized. "My bad, really…"

"Look. I just want to get out of here. It's not too much to ask!" Queen answered impatiently.

-----

Leg 6 Trivia

- The exact details on how to have the Roadblock done, whether it would be a complete decoding using the frequency of letters in the English alphabet, a basic plug-in with hieroglyphs, or some other type of deciphering quandary, were worked out shortly before the Roadblock section was typed/filmed.

- This is the first leg in a season in which the Roadblock and pit stop information have been doubled into one speech.

- During this leg, the first aired kiss occurs between the elderly dating Toads when Toadsworth gives Zess a quick peck on the cheek. Although one is implied in their pre-race interview, it isn't shown.

- The reward for a first-place finish in this leg involves a two-week vacation to Tropicaland. This location was mentioned as the prize for a win in season 1, but it was expanded upon in a bit more detail this time around.

- This is the first leg in which the author has provided a scene of the pit stop, or bothered to explain for any pit stop locations that couldn't possibly house the remaining teams.

- The switch of King & Queen and Andy & Beldam had been planned from the start of the race because of the name nature, which was almost immediately noticed by the author.

- Coincidentally, TAR11/AS Leg 2's Roadblock featured a confusing word puzzle. Even more, much of the racing in that leg took place in the arid Chilean desert—this can be comparable to the barren region of the Clayouse Mesas. However, the author's ideas for this leg were already planned even long before the advertising of TAR11/AS.

-----

Author's Note: An unexpected twist, I presume? Yes… I finally put in the King/Queen and Andy/Beldam partnerships into play that had just been asking for it for oh so long now. But…how will things turn out for them? Guess you'll just have to continue reading, huh? Oh, and by the way…I liked Husband and Wife, too…so please, don't get mad at me that Team Twilight became the fifth to go…they were really fun to work with.

Next update coming soon! …I hope.


	9. Leg 7: Big Bite and Bark! Top Dog? Who?

Author's Note: Update on 03/27/07. This is leg number seven, everyone! It's pretty long…but quite a few things of interest occur…

**Review Answers:** Wow…it's easy to see that a lot of readers were entranced by (or at least read and recalled) the Ham-bros. creating the temporary duos of King/Queen and Andy/Beldam. Man, I love freakish and abrupt story arcs!

**Master Ruck**- Heh, if someone got placed with a Smorg, they'd probably go crazy…

**SSBFreak**- Both statements are quite true. Let's just see how Queen reacts to King in relation to her actions towards Beldam, shall we?

**Yoshi Hoshi**- For some reason, I feel like a psychic—I knew from that previous episode's preview that they'd be eliminated! That is just SO weird! (Shivers) Well, enough of that…um… I think that I've just been going maze-crazy for no reason; I swear, I didn't notice the trend until Andy actually said that… As for the Smorgs' inexplicably strange language…I can't explain it in fear of being strangled by a Miasma. Eheheh…

-----

Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

"We're great to motor!"

_Eight teams of two crossed the Oho Ocean into Teehee Valley and drove themselves over a hundred miles through the narrow canyon to the Clayouse Mesas, a desolate, yet mild desert enclosed by rock walls. During the drive, Beldam and Queen lost their lead when they had the unlucky situation of a flat tire._

"…OF ALL THE TIMES WE NEED A GOOD CAR TO GET WHERE WE NEED TO GO, YOU GO AND POP THE TIRE! GENIUS, BLUE-HAT! AND NOW WE'RE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A STUPID DESERT WITH UGLY SURROUNDINGS! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR MY EYE SURGERY, YOU RIDICULOUS WENCH! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO RESPECTING YOUR BETTERS…"

_While all of the other teams decided to wait out the time before the Detour, Hamma and Flare opted to risk their time on the Hazard._

"Okay…this is a bit more of a waste of time than I would've liked!" Hamma complained.

_On the way to Clayouse City, the main central town of the desert, the 4x4 of Smorgo and Smorga broke down, forcing them to wait for a replacement._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I cannot believe this…)"

_The final task of the leg, a cryptic Roadblock, proved to be very difficult for many team members._

"There are three three-letter words here…but would one of them really be as common as 'the' or 'and?'" Andy asked himself. "Even if one was, where would I put it?"

"What's this big, strong word? Some of the symbols defeat in other faces…but what letters do they demean?" Shimi muttered. "Urgh, I'm so confused by just talking to my shelf!"

"Gee…uh…I think that since this tells where the pit stop is, two of these words are 'pit stop'…maybe it's these two…" Zess whispered. "I hope I'm right about this…"

"Hmm…" To rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "I'm starting to think I should've done those funny little word puzzles in the newspaper when I was younger…maybe this would be easier…"

_In the end, the power of age prevailed as Zess and Toadsworth arrived at the pit stop in first._

"You…are team number one."

Completely enthused about their first-place win, the elderly Toads deeply embraced. After a few moments of passionate hugging, excitement turned to embarrassment as the pair realized they were holding each other a bit too closely, causing them to hastily let go, laughing nervously.

_But for their allied partners, Husband and Wife, things just didn't work out._

"…I am sorry to tell you that you have both been eliminated from the race." Blaise apologized hesitantly.

At this point, Wife broke out into large sobs as Husband patted her back and gave her a hug.

_However, the drama didn't stop there. At the pit stop, Hamma and Flare announced that they had switched around the members of two teams, creating the combinations of King and Queen, and Andy and Beldam._

Nearly every single jaw in the room dropped. The only sound breaking the silence was the stifled laughter of the brothers, who were enjoying every second that they got to take in the surprised looks of all the teams—especially that of King K. and the Shadow Queen.

Zessworth Translates Top Spot; Team Twilight Taken Out

_Five teams and two rearrangements remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is the Clayouse Mesas, a relatively small stretch of desert north of the Beanbean Kingdom and west of Frigid Hills. Characterized with various shapes and sizes of rock formations as well as a calm atmosphere void of crime, it is a quiet region of semi-warm climates. In the center of this wilderness is the main center, Clayouse City. On its outskirts is this place, Engraving Flats. This unique mesa is known for its unusual hieroglyphs and symbols, said to represent over forty different examples of ancient written languages. It was also the sixth pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The seven teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_Just how will the scrambled teams of Andy and Beldam, and King and Queen cope with their forced cooperation? Will Hamma and Flare be impacted by the plaguing penalty that could possibly cost them the race, or will they have what it takes to make up enough time to avoid checking in as the last place team?_

_Zess and Toadsworth, who arrived at 3:07 P.M…_

"Oh, goodness that's splendid!" Zess exclaimed excitedly. "We haven't won a leg up until now!"

"Remarkable…" Toadsworth smiled. "I didn't ever think we had it in us!"

_Will depart at 3:07 A.M._

-----

Just like any other desert, the environment during the nighttime was very different in comparison to the sunlight hours. A cool breeze wafted over the rock walls, penetrating the valley to bring a refreshing gust of wind that definitely added to the wind chill of an already chilly temperature. The darkness was filled with a chorus of bugs chirping and sand being shifted from the unruly winds.

On top of a mesa on the fringe of Clayouse City was a small, laid-out mat decorated with a highly detailed drawing of the Mushroom world. Standing on top of it was the first team, patiently waiting to leave. Because of the astonishingly large lack of light in the area, one held a flashlight while the other held the clue envelope.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 1st to Depart, 3:07 A.M. (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

After rebounding from worst to first, the elderly Toads seemed more optimistic and excited than ever—they appeared wide-awake, in spite of the late time. In honor of their allies, Husband and Wife, being eliminated in the previous leg, the aged duo had appeared to have taken on some of the Twilighter's wardrobe aspects. Zess was wearing a red bandana similar to that of Wife around her neck, which complimented a light pink colored jacket, orange T-shirt, and blue jeans decorated with fashionably small rhinestones. Toadsworth was wearing his glasses once again, but there was a newer look to his outer garments; he was wearing a thick green jacket similar to the black one Husband had worn in the last leg, along with a purple and yellow turtleneck and gray slacks.

"Well…I guess I'm as ready as ever." Zess said quietly. "We're not just running this race for ourselves now; we're doing it also for Husband and Wife."

"That's right. Even though our allies are gone, their drive is our drive…it'll definitely be what we need." Toadsworth declared, his eyes closed as he achieved the peak pensive look possible.

"…Let's do it, then."

Toadsworth turned on the flashlight and shined it onto the envelope while Zess tore the strip off and pulled out the Route Info folder.

"'Make your way to Clayouse Airfield and fly to Quicksand Falls in Chomp Fields. Your next clue waits at your marked cars outside the airport.'"

_Teams must now drive through Clayouse City approximately 2 miles to this place: Clayouse Airfield, the main center of air-related transport. What teams must figure out is that their best option is to buy tickets for a mega-copter ride to Quicksand Falls in Chomp Fields, because airplanes are unable to navigate out of the enclosed region easily. Once at Triangular International, 204 miles away, teams will locate their next clue waiting on the windshields of their marked cars._

"'You have 36 Smash coins for this leg of the race.'" Zess concluded. "Oh, darn. That's not very much money to work off of…"

"…Chomp Fields? That is where we're going?" Toadsworth asked.

"Um…yeah."

"Goodness, old bean! That rings a bell!" Toadsworth perked up immediately. "Capital! When I was hosting that cruise around the world with Master Mario and the Princess, we visited a relatively uninhabited place called Pyramid Park! That, my friend, is within the boundaries of Chomp Fields!"

"Are you serious?! That's awesome!" Zess clapped her hands. "I think we just discovered an advantage!"

"Prior to the race, I hosted a remarkably wonderful cruise around the world with Princess Toadstool and all of her friends. We visited several noteworthy locales, one of which was Pyramid Park. It amazes me how coincidental that is…" Toadsworth chuckled. "What are the odds of revisiting a place you've already been to on a vacation while you're on a demanding race around the world?"

After depositing the dispensable slip into the team credit card, the possibly dating couple worked their way down the shallow trail from the mesa's level ground. They eventually reached the parking area with the marked cars. Quickly locating their own and depositing their backpacks, Zess took the wheel while Toadsworth hopped into the back to direct the chef with a map.

-----

Navigating the empty streets with pretty much no trouble at all, the Toads quickly arrived at the main airport of the Clayouse Mesas.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Clayouse Airfield, Terminal Parking Lot)**

"I really hope that they're open…come along, Zess, dear." Toadsworth urged.

"Coming!" Zess responded, pulling her backpack on.

Walking up to the main entrance of the airdrome, the hopeful old pair disappointedly realized that the doors were locked, meaning that the airport was closed for the night.

"Oh well…I guess we just have to camp out until they open up, then." Zess sighed, pulling her sleeping bag from her backpack. "Everywhere else appears shut down, so we can't search for any departing flights tonight."

"'Tis a shame…"

-----

**Andy & Beldam; King & Queen- 2nd & 3rd to Depart, 3:27 A.M. (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

"CAN WE HURRY IT UP ALREADY?!"

Ironically, the Mismatch rod had helped Andy and King by pulling them up to a departure time in front of the Smorg. However, none of the four racers looked all too happy about anything—Queen was irritated from the fact that she was being forced to wake up so early, King and Andy were upset at being split up and working with two complete strangers, and Beldam was just plain stressed out.

Since the two teams had been scrambled up, there wasn't very much unison between team members. Andy had switched back to a green robe. Beldam had put away her hat for a while and pulled her grayish hair back into a small roll at the back of her head, leaving a few strands to waft in the breeze. King was wearing a yellow colored hoodie that completely matched his shell color and boots. Lastly, Queen was back in her humorously large crown, along with white lace gloves covering her free-floating hands.

"'You have 36 Smash coins for…'" Andy trailed off. "Oh, forget it. It's not like that helps…that splitting in our money seriously sucks!"

"Totally, dawg! We got virtually nothing to work with, since our money was halved among us and you guys had zero!" King added.

"Please, I know, I know!" Beldam replied irately. "But it's not like I can help having to deal with…a certain someone…"

"Really…I mean, Beldam is such a hard person to deal with! Good luck trying to handle her, Andy…" Queen said innocently, causing the others to groan.

"With such a disadvantage on my back, it's definitely gonna be hard just to make it through the leg, yo. K. admits that Queenie's a bit hard to handle, and she sure ain't gonna change just for me…" King sighed. "Guess you gotta do what you gotta do and trudge forward, ya know? Keep a stiff upper beak and spin into the situation."

"It's quite sad, really. I know that Andy and King are good racers both as a team and individually, but I never thought that I'd have to possibly work with one of them. Even though I'm glad that I'm finally working with a decent partner, even just for one leg, I'm still extremely nervous that Queen will drag King done to last, and we might end up being eliminated…" Beldam admitted worriedly.

"The only choice we have is to somehow work together through this whole leg…and even that might be a hard thing to do by itself…" Andy muttered to his former partner.

"Whispering to other people is rude, you know." Queen whispered to Andy.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 4th to Depart, 3:31 A.M. (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

For the first time ever, the Smorg were actually WEARING something other than dirt and muck—to compensate for the lack of light, both were WEARING headlamps.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This is going to be a really frustrating leg…we have not had to buy tickets before in this state…)" Smorgo murmured.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Right…and even more, no one can understand us. Seriously, how can we get tickets if we are speech impaired?)" Smorga whined.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Unlike the rest of the teams, we have this humongous handicap—no one can even understand what we say. Although many of the teams are really nice, it is very hard to enjoy such a great thing when you feel so left out because of a speech deficiency. Personal matters aside, it gets even worse with the race situation. In spite of our notably cunning and strategic mannerisms, some can be hard to put in play without communication to others. It really feels so difficult just to manage a day with something so hard resting on your head.)" Smorga explained quietly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, look at the bright side. While people cannot understand us, Queen just cannot get it through her fat old head that she is in a race. I think that we can at least place ahead of them pretty easily.)" Smorgo assumed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I feel that I have no right to argue there.)" Smorga laughed.

After making the short trip down the trail, the Smorg climbed into their small marked 4x4.

-----

**Andy & Beldam; King & Queen (Clayouse Airfield, Terminal Entrance)**

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I AM NOT SLEEPING OUT IN THIS STUPID NIGHTTIME AIR! THIS DISGUSTING WARMTH IS MAKING MY HAIR FRIZZY!" Queen screamed.

"Good morning to you, too." Zess remarked dryly.

"Is it not open?" Andy asked in disbelief.

"I'm afraid to say, old chap, but yes." Toadsworth apologized. "Apparently, the doors are closed to the public."

"…But the lights are on." Beldam reasoned. "Let's try another entrance. Who knows, maybe these are the only locked ones."

"Sounds like a plan." King mused. "Well, we got nuthin' to lose."

"AND THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO ANOTHER STUPID DESERT IS JUST STUPID! I MEAN, WHO WOULD FORCE ME TO GO BE A LIAISON IN SOME LOSER NOWHERE PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?!" Queen screeched.

"…Good grief…" Toadsworth stated.

"She's not on my team…that means I can do something I've wanted to do for a LOOONG time…" Beldam smiled sinisterly.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Clayouse Airfield, Terminal Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This is odd…there is nobody here. Surely, we would not have been the first ones here…)" Smorgo muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Indeed, we are not. Look.)"

On the ground, near the door, were several signs of a skirmish—small bits of ice, almost barely noticeable, were scattered about.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Considering this warm climate, this is most likely Beldam's work. I wonder why they left.)" Smorga mused, trying the door.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (The lights are on inside the facility. They must have assumed that the airport is actually open at this hour. I think it must be.)" Smorgo reasoned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Possibly. Why not we try and locate an unlocked entrance, then?)" Smorga quizzed.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- 5th to Depart, 3:57 A.M. (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

Still as energetic as ever, the sisters seemed to glow as strongly as their flashlights. Again, the girls repeated their pattern of dressing similarly to each other; both Toads were wearing blue jeans, a white undershirt, and matching light jackets with small nameplates. Both had put their hair into their signature two-ball style.

"Okay…outside the airport of Chomp Fields." Too informed.

"Alright…" To pulled a black rod from the travel pack. She used the buttons near the top to select a certain team on the screen before pushing a large one at the bottom.

"So it's set?" Too asked.

"Yup."

"Great! We won't have to wait very long, then."

_To and Too have used their Leech Rod to place ahead of or behind of Shimi and Waitress. If they are not eliminated during this leg, their departure from the next pit stop will be delayed by four hours._

"Shortly after Flare and Hamma switched around two of the other teams, we realized that this was our chance to possibly pull ahead of the rest of the pack, especially because the brothers will be getting penalties until their end." To explained. "It only made the moods worse for Zess and Toadsworth, and Waitress and Shimi, so we offered to work with them in exchange for them allowing us to place near them. So, we plan to help them out and place high so that we won't end up getting a bad start in the following leg."

"I wonder if Toadsworth and Zess have started to look for flights yet…" Too murmured, leaning her car chair back.

"I hope not…we might not be able to book with them if we're not there to help." To said worriedly.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Clayouse Airfield, Terminal Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Interesting…so there really was a door open after all.)" Smorga remarked.

"SMORGSMORG (Right. Unfortunately, no counters are open. Apparently, everything is closed for the night. We have no alternative but to get some rest until everything opens in the morning.)" Smorgo decided.

After finding a secluded set of chairs, the Smorg fell asleep.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 6th to Depart, 4:10 A.M. (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

Like their elderly allies, the train workers had also adapted some of the appearance aspects of the married Twilighters. Shimi was wearing a green hat quite similar to that of Husband's regular fashion. Waitress had worked her purple hair into a braid almost exactly like Wife's, but her bangs were different. The Toad also had her shell earrings on, along with a baby-blue jacket covering a white T-shirt, and pink pants.

"We don't want to keep the sitters waiting at the table for too long!" Shimi warned. "We gotta hurry!"

"…Whatever you say, Shimi…whatever you say…" Waitress chuckled.

"It's really, really sad that we had to say goodbye to our friends Husband and Wife in the last leg…but, I guess it just wasn't meant to be for them to continue along with us." Waitress said sadly. "But even though they were eliminated, that doesn't mean that I can't work together with Shimi and Zess and Toadsworth to finish the job for them. We're running this race for more than just ourselves now…and I know that the Twilighters really would appreciate it if we won in their honor…so, that's what we vowed to do."

"Hope that you girls didn't lose too much time waiting on us to grieve," said Shimi.

"Oh, it's alright. As long as we can make it to the airport easily, we can make up all the time by finding a good flight." To replied.

"We definitely intend to do just that." Too assured.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth; Andy & Beldam; King & Queen (Clayouse Airfield, Terminal Entrance)**

"Well, we had to walk all the way around the airport, but at least we found an open door…I guess your hunch was right." Andy remarked.

"Yeah, it's because the lights were on that—"

"Thank you. I know my idea would work." Queen said, interrupting Beldam.

"Yes, but…nothing around here appears to be open." Zess observed.

"BELDAM, YOU IDIOT! THIS IS YOUR ENTIRE FAULT! WHAT KIND OF PARTNER WOULD DO SUCH A THING?!"

"Numbskull. I'm not even your partner for this leg!" Beldam stated bluntly.

"…BELDAM, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"This is going to be a long, long leg…" King moaned. "I am going to PULVERIZE those Ham-brains!"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Last to Depart, 4:31 A.M. (Engraving Flats, Top Surface)**

Whether it was a result of the desert heat or the need to lose some weight, the fighters had for once willingly taken off their helmets, allowing the dirty blond hair underneath to blow about in the small breeze.

"Don't wanna keep our buddies waiting for us at the airport…" Flare joked. "We better move out."

"Yeah…I wonder just how frustrated those losers are already." Hamma commented.

"We're not here to make friends. If we draw battle lines and make enemies, that's fine. It'll be all the more fun to pick team by team off, one by one." Hamma explained. "Hey, if we can get an advantage off of something, we're not going to waste it. Every single opportunity to pull ahead, to avoid elimination, and to get closer to that million…it's our goal to keep on heading in that direction."

"Let's see…the airport looks like it's on the other side of town." Flare stated.

"Alright, then." Hamma cracked his knuckles before starting up the car.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress; To & Too; Zess & Toadsworth (Clayouse Airfield, Computer Center)**

"Whew…we're so lucky we found you guys…" Waitress remarked as the group headed inside the Internet café.

"Indeed. Alas, we were misinformed that everything was unavailable at this evening hour…" Toadsworth said sheepishly.

The Toad sisters sat down at one of the open computers, while the other four grabbed chairs and sat behind them.

"So, where are every bodies at?" Shimi inquired.

"It's either the fact that they didn't know that this café was open or that they've never booked tickets before by computer…um… Andy, King, and Beldam were trying to sleep the last time we saw them." Zess replied.

"…And Queen?" Waitress raised an eyebrow.

"Lamenting over the fact that her eye shadow is unseen in the ladies' lavatory." Toadsworth answered, chuckling.

"She is just so weird sometimes…" Zess chortled.

"What about the Smorg?"

"Eh wot? The Smorg?" Toadsworth thought for a second. "…Come to think of it, we haven't seen them at all since the pit stop, that."

"They're probably wandering around somewhere in the middle of the city, knocking over garbage cans and eating the contents…" Waitress made a face.

"We found some stuff, guys!" Too notified.

"What is it?"

As the group huddled together closer around the monitor, To scrolled the screen down.

"Apparently, the only way to get to Quicksand Falls is by using something called a mega-copter." To explained. "It says here that the airport has a section for airplanes and a section for mega-copter flights. Airplanes are meant for long-distance travel so the aircraft can gain altitude, while mega-copters are for short-distance travel. Chomp Fields is only a few hundred miles from here."

"Interesting information…" Toadsworth noted.

"Yeah. But get this—ironically, there are two different flights we could take." To grinned. "There's a mega-copter that leaves at 10:30 and arrives at approximately 3:50, local time. But there's also an airplane that connects through Kalimari Desert that leaves here at 9:00 and arrives at 4:40."

"Knowing everyone else, they'll most likely get on the airplane." Zess remarked.

"Exactly!" Too agreed. "So, we should book on this one, right? It doesn't have a chance of being laid over like the airplane."

"I think we should."

(To & Too; Zess & Toadsworth; Shimi & Waitress- 1st thru 3rd on Crucial Copters 101)

Satisfied at having found out valuable information that could potentially put them in the lead, the three allied teams left the Internet café and headed outside to find a place to sleep near their airlines.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Clayouse Airfield, Airplane Tickets Terminal)**

"Look…our victims are here." Flare sneered.

As the Hammer and Fire Brothers approached, the irritated trio turned away.

"Oh, great…it's them." Beldam growled. "Just who I did NOT want to see…"

"Heh, I can't believe they ain't 'fraid to show their faces." King remarked. "They're way too full of themselves."

"Since we were unlucky enough to be mixed up, and last place would guarantee elimination on one of our teams, we all pretty much decided to work together." Andy explained. "If anything, we all could agree on one other thing—we are going to take down those Ham-bros., and we ARE going to make it a devastating experience."

Trying their best to hold their tempers, the simmering group simply resorted to ignoring the brothers and focused their attention on the women's restroom.

"She's still in there, isn't she?" Andy muttered.

"I vote Beldam goes in the LADIES' powder room to get her." King stated.

"…Ugh! Why?!" Beldam complained, getting up to head inside the bathroom. She brushed by the snickering major leaguers, somehow managing to keep her anger in check.

**7:00 A.M. (Clayouse Airfield)**

The sun finally rose above the rock walls, taking its place atop several different mesas from several different perspectives throughout the desert. In the case of the airport in Clayouse City, the rising sun was an alarm that woke the sleeping teams.

**To & Too; Zess & Toadsworth; Shimi & Waitress (Clayouse Airfield, Mega-Copter Tickets Terminal)**  
After printing out the tickets, the Desert Goomba passed the three pairs over the counter to the elated teams.

"Hopefully no one else finds out this information…we've practically got it made for a good lead!" Waitress exclaimed.

"I haven't seen anyone, so they're all probably booking tickets over at the airplane reservation area." To informed.

**Hamma & Flare; Andy & Beldam; King & Queen (Clayouse Airfield, Airplane Tickets Terminal)**

"Good morning…we'd like to reserve tickets for the earliest flight you've got to Chomp Fields." Hamma told the Pokey.

"Very well…I'll look that up for you."

While their ticket agent somehow scrolled through the available flights on his computer, the brothers gave the mismatched teams a triumphant look. Obviously, they weren't impressed.

"Don't they know that pink is the new blonde?" Queen grumbled. "As if blonde is better than strawberry-blonde, much less being dirty-blonde! I mean, that is just so—MRGH!"

"For once in your life, woman! Shut…UP!" Andy yelled. Queen spat out the sock that had been stuffed into her mouth.

"INFIDEL! WHO DARES STICK A SOCK INTO MY GLORIOUS, GORGEOUSLY SHAPED MOUTH?! Beldam! WAS IT YOU?!"

A moment of silence occurred as everyone gave Queen a dubious look.

"…You truly have to deal with a big idiot." King muttered to Beldam.

"Tch. I think she's obsessed with me or something…luckily, I get a break from her…I guess that's the only good part of this in my case." Beldam dryly replied.

"Ah. I've found it." The Pokey said. "Okay. Our earliest flight leaves at 9:00 and arrives at 4:40. Would that suffice?"

"Is it the earliest?" Flare asked.

"Earliest we have."

"Then you've got it."

(Hamma & Flare- 1st on Arid Airlines 1093)

Still scoffing at their rivals, the brothers headed off in the direction of the terminal, allowing Andy and Beldam to get to the counter.

"Hi. Um…could you tell us if there's actually a faster flight leaving today?" Beldam inquired.

"…Oh, oops…as a matter of fact, there is." The Pokey mumbled. "Um…there's a mega-copter departing at 10:30 that arrives at 3:50. It's a direct flight, unlike the one I gave those two…oh, my supervisor is going to kill me…"

"…A mega-copter? What's a mega-copter?" Andy asked confusedly.

"It's the aircraft our region uses to get above the rock walls for short-distance travel."

"We'd like to know what airlines carries that flight. Could you tell us, please?" Beldam begged.

"Sure. Let's see…Crucial Copters is the airline."

"Thank you."

"Come on guys, we think we've found a better flight than this one." Andy called.

"Sweet!" King exclaimed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Clayouse Airfield, Luggage Conveyor Belts)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Oh, blast it all! I only vaguely remember doing this…and I do not quite recall the method our stupider sides used to find the right luggage to stow away in…)" Smorgo muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Let us just pick one, then. Hopefully we will get lucky…)" Smorga sighed.

Randomly choosing one of the moving conveyor belts, the Smorg jumped on and hid behind two large suitcases as they disappeared into the sorting system.

**Andy & Beldam; King & Queen (Clayouse Airfield, Mega-Copter Tickets Terminal)**

Expecting that there were still more tickets for the fastest mega-copter, Andy and Beldam entered the line in front of King, who was pulling Queen along.

"Ow! That hurts my hand! Stop it!" Queen whined.

"Hi…we'd like to get two tickets aboard your fastest…um…" Andy trailed off.

"Mega-copter. Your fastest mega-copter to Chomp Fields." Beldam confirmed.

"Alright…that one leaves here at 10:30 and comes in at about 4:00." The Desert Goomba answered. "I'll put you on…"

(Andy & Beldam- 4th on Crucial Copters 101)

"Awesome. Thank you very much." Andy stated gratefully as the tickets were passed over the counter.

As their allies stepped away from the desk to give them room, King and Queen moved up.

"We'd 'ppreciate the same tickets, yo." King said.

"Preferably in a first-class cabin!" Queen proclaimed.

"…Queenie. We ain't allowed to buy first-class." King reminded.

"I don't care! I WANT first-class!" Queen screamed.

"Um, excuse me." The Desert Goomba turned an apologetic gaze downward. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but we have no more tickets left for the mega-copter. Our next one leaves at 1:00 and arrives at 6:40. Would that work just as well?"

"Sorry, but no…" King bit his beak. "Uh…could we reserve waitin'?"

"Sure."

"Oh, great…if anything, we should've let them buy first…" Beldam groaned.

"Sorry about the mess-up, King…guess we have to go all the way back to the airplane terminal…" Andy sighed.

"ALL THE WAY BACK?! NO WAY!" Queen shouted.

**Andy & Beldam; King & Queen (Clayouse Airfield, Airplane Tickets Terminal)**

"UGH! You all are despicable!" Queen yelled.

"Thanks, dawg." King muttered to the agent.

(King & Queen- 2nd on Arid Airlines 1093)

-----

**(Arid Airlines 1093- Departing at 9:02 A.M.)**

After waiting as long as they could with no luck to get spots on the mega-copter, King and Queen had barely managed to make it onto the plane as a result of the Shadow Queen requiring a fashion magazine from a rack on the other side of the airport. Needless to say, a dumbfounded Hamma and Flare were shaken by the fact that they were sharing the flight with one other team.

-----

**(Crucial Copters 101- Departing at 10:29 A.M.)**

Having reserved tickets together, the sisters, express workers, and possibly dating couple were all seated in the middle of the plane with each other, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about their previous legs. Farther behind in the back were Andy and Beldam, who were heavily lamenting on the fact that they couldn't keep an eye on their partners.

-----

_All seven teams are now airborne aboard two separate flights towards Chomp Fields. On the mega-copter, scheduled to arrive at 3:50 P.M., are possibly dating couple Zess and Toadsworth, mismatched teammates Andy and Beldam, express workers Shimi and Waitress, and sisters To and Too. On the airplane, scheduled to arrive nearly an hour later, are brothers Hamma and Flare, mismatched teammates King and Queen, and stowaway Smorgs Smorgo and Smorga._

-----

Beating down mercilessly on the hot sands, the sun's relentless rays somehow penetrated a blanket of flying sand that completely covered the surrounding desert. Because of this unexpected sandstorm, incoming flights to Triangular International were slightly delayed in their adapted landings.

**(Crucial Copters 101- Arriving at 4:02 P.M.)**

**Zess & Toadsworth; Shimi & Waitress; To & Too (Triangular International, Terminal D8)**

"Goodness…with all of that sand flying willy-nilly, is it safe to race?" Toadsworth asked in astonishment.

"Apparently…" To murmured, taking a safe picture of the sandstorm from next to a window.

"That really looks unsafe…don't we like, get safety gear or something?" Waitress asked worriedly.

"Maybe…I'd hop we do, or else we'll be buttered up!" Shimi cried out.

Doing their best to hurry through the airport while stay as a group, the allied teams soon arrived at the main entrance to the international airfield. Luckily for them, a turban-wearing Goomba was situated at the door, handing out free goggles.

"Oh, thank you." Too stated gratefully.

Outside, the six put on their goggles as they began the tough search for the durable 4x4s in the flurry of sand.

"It's kind of hard to breathe safely with all of this sand flying around…" Zess murmured, bringing her shirt over her mouth for protection.

"I say! Stay close, everyone!" Toadsworth advised, bringing his arms protectively around Zess.

It took a few more moments of searching, but the sisters were lucky enough to stumble upon a group of marked vehicles. After grabbing the three envelopes from the three cars they would be using, the group huddled together in an attempt to hide from the storm as they opened the clues.

"'Route Info.'" To read.

"'Drive yourselves to the center of Quicksand Falls and locate the store, Trinkets Twinklets. Locate a marked Chain Chomp amulet…'" Zess continued.

"'…and show it to the owner of the Sphinx-Jinx Sands restaurant to get your next clue.'" Waitress concluded.

_Teams must now drive 4 miles from the outskirts of Quicksand Falls to the town's main square, located at the pool where the quicksand disappears into the surrounding earth. They must then locate this covered building, a merchandise store known as Trinkets Twinklets, and search among the shop's hundreds of specialty charms for one of fourteen Chain Chomp amulets with a small race flag imprinted on the back. After locating one, they must bring it an additional 1 mile to this restaurant, Sphinx-Jinx Sands, and show it to the owner to receive their next clue._

"How are we supposed to rave in this worm? There's too much going own!" Shimi pointed out.

"We must drive very cautiously in order to avoid accidents." Toadsworth stated. "There are maps in these envelopes, correct? We have to use them to the fullest!"

Still unnerved at the prospect of having to drive through the treacherous sandstorm, the three teams climbed into the marked 4x4s and slowly moved out of the parking lot.

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners (Triangular International, Front Entrance)**

"Oh, heck no…I really wish I didn't have to go out there…" Beldam commented anxiously.

"Thanks, man." Andy tossed Beldam one of the free goggles before slipping his on and tightening it around his face.

Stepping outside, the Big Bandit and Shadow Siren started stumbling around in an attempt to locate the marked cars. Unfortunately, they were out for several minutes before Andy finally spotted a clue envelope behind the layer of sand. Since they weren't waiting on anybody, they both got into the marked car—Beldam took the wheel and waited patiently while Andy read the clue aloud.

"'Route Info. Drive yourselves to the center of Quicksand Falls and locate the store, Trinkets Twinklets. Locate a marked Chain Chomp amulet and show it to the owner of the Sphinx-Jinx Sands restaurant to get your next clue.'"

"This feels just so weird, you know? Queen has only read one or two clues out loud…I usually do all the reading…" Beldam murmured, giggling lightly.

"Heh…I'm guessing you do all the driving, too, right?" Andy asked, smirking.

"Obviously, yeah…" Beldam nodded.

-----

In the middle of the sandstorm, it was hard to differentiate anything—it was nearly impossible to see the stream of sand flowing down from the overpass above the town as it fell into a circle surrounded by wooden pickets and was buried into the earth. Since the center of town was normally a booming business in the right conditions, a variety of buildings, tents, and lights were strung amongst the grounds. However, few to no people were outdoors at the moment because of the dangerously powerful flurry of sand.

Located almost directly in front of the circle of wooden fence pieces was one particular building, made out of, oddly enough, sandstone bricks and mortar. Barely visible above the closed entrance was a strangely-shaped scarab that bore the name of the store upon its back.

**Zess & Toadsworth; Shimi & Waitress; To & Too (Trinkets Twinklets Entrance, Quicksand Falls)**

After managing to drive safely through the eerily barren desert town, the allied duos arrived in front of the store. It was obvious that during the drive, all had taken extra precautions for the unusual weather—Zess had moved her Wife-like handkerchief up and over her mouth, while Toadsworth had merely wrapped a purple shirt around the part of his face uncovered by the goggles. The other three female Toads had done the same thing as Zess, tying cloths over their faces, while Shimi was holding a cap tightly in front of his face with his fin. Luckily, they were all able to relax upon entering the knick-knack shop.

"Whoa." Too gasped, unconsciously pulling out her camera and taking a picture.

Almost every single nook and cranny of the store walls, shelves, and display centers, except for the cash register, were covered in small amulets and charms. Dumbfounded, the teams stared helplessly at the array of small items for a few moments before snapping out of it.

"So we're looking for a marked Chain Chomp amulet…great…that could be a bit hard, considering this place is loaded with a whole bunch of various other artifacts." Zess groaned.

"Yeah…and I don't see any red and yellow right now…" To added.

"The flags must be on the back of the trinkets." Toadsworth assumed. "Come now, we must search, or else this lead will have been wasted!"

"Right…"

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners (Trinkets Twinklets Entrance, Quicksand Falls)**

"That should be it up ahead…I can see the cars of the teams that got out before us." Beldam remarked.

The Shadow Siren quickly parked the 4x4 next to one of the rival teams' cars. Quickly jumping out, the team ducked into the store to avoid further battering by the relentless sand.

"Well, we're bringing up the rear…" Andy joked.

"Has anyone had any luck finding one yet?" Beldam questioned.

"Nope. It's really bad, too…you can't even tell if one of these things is a Chain Chomp or not unless you get really close up to it." Waitress explained.

"There must be thousands of these little things here." Too added. "I really hope this task doesn't waste all of our time…"

"Surely, it won't…well, at least for us." Toadsworth remarked, holding up a small Chain Chomp amulet with a flag on the back.

"Oh, my little Toadsy-worthsy! You found one! Awesome!" Zess cheered.

"That was betty fast…" Shimi remarked.

"We'll see you guys at the restaurant. Good luck!"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Trinkets Twinklets Entrance, Quicksand Falls)**

Rushing through the sandstorm, the Toads quickly located their marked car and jumped inside.

"Whew…that stinging sand is really bad…I hope we can get out of this horrid storm." Zess wished.

"Yes, quite. Now…could you locate the Sphinx-Jinx Sands restaurant on the map, please?" Toadsworth requested.

"…Okay, I've got it." Zess informed. "We'll have to take this road away from the sand falls and veer on the first right…"

**Shimi & Waitress; To & Too; Andy & Beldam (Trinkets Twinklets, Quicksand Falls)**

"Just listen to that howling wind…it's so creepy." Beldam muttered as she turned over several small trinkets, not bothering to look at their fronts.

Doing their best to search efficiently amongst the large collection of assorted doodads, the racers continued to turn over trinkets, hoping for the best.

"Oh! Look, I got one!" Too whispered to To.

"Cool! So…oh, I know what you're thinking." To smiled sadly. "Well…I guess…"

"Believe me; it's the best thing to do, so they can work with Zessworth."

"Luckily, our close bonds as sisters provide us with several benefits—we can strike up conversations by just making eye contact, laughing, or making a noise." To explained. "When it comes to making a quick decision, if we can get that into play, it'll work out well for us."

Too quickly strode over to the train workers, who were still busily searching for a marked charm. She tapped Waitress on the shoulder, and pressed the amulet into her hand when she turned around.

"…Wait…what are you doing?" Waitress asked, giving Too a quizzical look.

"Remember…we place near you at the end of this leg. It's best if we try to help you out." Too said, smiling genuinely.

"…Um…wow…" Shimi and his partner exchanged glances. "That's way nice of you…"

"Don't let this go to waste." To said cheerfully, waving as Shimi and Waitress headed out the door.

"…That's quite a naïve move." Andy commented.

"Well, not really in our case…" Too giggled.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Trinkets Twinklets Entrance, Quicksand Falls)**

"They really get how they should work when they're depending on a team with their Leech Rod." Waitress remarked, taking the front seat.

"Yeah…do you think they could be must bamboozling us?" Shimi questioned.

The purple-haired Toad was silent for a moment as she started up the engine.

"…No…they aren't like that. I think they really just want to help us. I have a feeling that even after this leg, they'd be willing to do so without expecting anything in return." Waitress stated. "That's like how Husband and Wife were…"

Upon remembering the married Twilighters, the train employees sighed.

-----

Engulfed in the wrath of the sandstorm, the other areas of Quicksand Falls were blanketed in a heavy layer of flying sand and dust particles. Sitting at the corner of an intersection, close to the center of town, was a restaurant somewhat designed to be viewed in the shape of a downsized, but still quite large, sphinx. Oddly enough, there was a fiesta-like theme about it; the exterior was decorated with vibrant colors, potted cacti, and several varieties of lightly tinted bricks. Above the door, which was actually the sphinx's lowered open mouth, was a race flag. However, because of the unbearably strong sand streams, the yellow and red pattern was barely visible.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 1st (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

Quickly parking the car and hurrying into the restaurant with the amulet in tow, the venerable Toads quickly looked around the front entrance.

"Excuse me, my good chap…might you be the owner of this fine restaurant?" Toadsworth asked, holding out the Chain Chomp charm.

"Erm…yeah, that's me." The Dry Bones nodded heavily, resulting in his head falling off. "…Oops."

"…" Zess and Toadsworth made a face at the sight as the Dry Bones put his skull back atop his shell.

"Heh, that's better. Sorry. Um…you can keep that amulet…I just give this to you."

"…Thank you?" Zess laughed nervously as she moved away from the entrance with Toadsworth.

"Let us see what we must do next, shall we?" Toadsworth opened the envelope. "'Route Info. Both team members must finish a full plate of a local dish known as Shroomcacari. Be warned—the food is really spicy. If you wish not to eat, continue racing, but expect a four-hour penalty before your check-in time at the pit stop.' …Oh my."

_Teams must now indulge in a favorite meal commonly associated with the delightfully spicy flavors provided by desert vegetation traditionally eaten by vegetarians—Shroomcacari, a traditional dish said to bring good luck to those who can stand its strong taste. Both team members will have to finish a full serving of this specialty dish, which consists of a base of Koopa shell pasta, cactus branches, and sautéed Mushrooms, topped with a salsa of various cacti flower petals, Fire Flower seasonings, and Mushrooms spiced with garlic and vinegar, to receive their next clue._

"Spicy isn't a problem for me, Toadsworth…I eat extremes all the time." Zess shrugged. "I'm worried about you not being able to do it."

"…I can give it a go…besides, it could be an early dinner." Toadsworth chortled.

Almost immediately, a Bony Beetle waddled over to the possibly dating couple and led them through the decorated booths to a set of two-person tables near the back of the eatery. Seconds after he left, a set of two more came, balancing two plates on the backs of their shells. They bounced the full platters up and onto the table.

"…Wow…" Zess gave the food a sniff. "To think I've never heard of this place…it looks pretty simple, but just from the smell, it's obviously a wide palette of flavors."

"Capital! Let us dine!" Toadsworth lifted his water glass, to which Zess responded by raising up hers. They quickly touched the two together, put them down, and picked up their silverware.

-----

**To & Too; Andy & Beldam (Trinkets Twinklets, Quicksand Falls)**

"Oh, look! I got another one!" Too exclaimed.

"Whoa! That's cool!" Too giggled. "You seem to have a knack for doing this; can I see?"

The traveling sisters took a moment to quickly examine the small piece of metal, feeling its minute details and textures. They then headed toward the direction of the door.

"Hope you guys can find one!"

"Yeah, thanks…" Beldam responded. "Tch, right. They somehow magically find two marked thingamabobs while we still haven't found one yet. There's something wrong with that."

"They're just extraordinarily lucky for some reason." Andy replied. "It shouldn't be too much longer until we find one, too."

Flipping over another set of small lockets, the Big Bandit sighed upon seeing no race flag.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Quicksand Falls, Eastern Square)**

"Is this building it?" Waitress asked. "I can't see…"

"I don't think it is…hmm…we must've made a gong burn somewhere…" Shimi muttered.

"Uh…I hope we're not too far off course…there's virtually no one outside to ask because of this sandstorm…" Waitress bit her lip.

-----

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners (Trinkets Twinklets, Quicksand Falls)**

"Okay. I hate search-and-find challenges like this." Beldam announced, showing Andy one of the amulets with a small race flag sticker on the back.

"Cool! Maybe we can catch up to the sisters if we hurry." Andy remarked, looking at his watch.

-----

**(Arid Airlines 1093- Arriving at 4:58 P.M.)**

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Triangular International, Airplane Landing Zone)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay…never again…are we going to do that…)" Smorga wheezed. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (I am NOT going to become a stowaway in another airplane, especially if there is some kind of ridiculous weather issue in the landing destination!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This sandstorm is not so bad…remember, our bodies are resistant to this battering. The only issue now is in finding the front parking lot where the marked cars are.)" Smorgo mused.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (My instincts tell me that the correct direction is that way.)"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Triangular International, Front Entrance)**

"Dude! And I thought the plane was freakin' strong! These glass windows aren't giving in to that humongous sandstorm!" Hamma exclaimed.

"Must be some type of Thwomp-glass or something…" Flare shrugged. "Hey, check it out! That guy over there is giving out goggles!"

After obtaining free eyewear from the turban-wearing Goomba, the fighters ventured out into the maddening storm.

"Okay…we just need to figure out where the marked cars are…the 'married' couple is still behind us." Hamma stated.

"I think this is one…" Flare said, pointing to the flag on the windshield of a vehicle.

After locating one of the remaining cars, the brothers were quick in locating their designated rover. They hopped inside after retrieving the envelope from the windshield wipers.

"We gotta locate some place called 'Trinkets Twinklets?' Oh, for crying out loud, that sounds SO retarded!" Flare cried incredulously.

"Well, you better not burn your eyes out looking for it on that map." Hamma smirked, revving the engine before carefully maneuvering the car out of the parking lot.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2nd (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"Thank you!" To said gratefully to the Dry Bones. "Ooh, this means we might get to keep this neat little amulet!"

"Awesome! Let's see what we have to do…" Too opened the envelope. "…Both of us have to eat a local dish called Shroomcacari. It's supposedly really spicy."

"Spicy? …Oh, darn…neither of us does very well with spicy…" To lamented.

"Well, we'll just have to pace ourselves." Too decided.

A Bony Beetle brought the sisters to a table near the back of the restaurant. As they sat down, two waiters brought their dishes up to the table.

"…Where's Shim-stress?" To asked curiously. "They left the store before we did…"

"They must've gotten lost." Zess remarked.

"Oh, Zess! We didn't see you…"

Zess responded by laughing lightly and waving, while Toadsworth managed a slight gesture with the hand while gulping down some water.

"Goodness me! I have no idea how you are able to handle such strong tastes, Zessy…" Toadsworth moaned, his eyes watering.

"…Gee…if it's really that hot, we might be here for a while…" Too frowned.

The sisters hesitantly looked at their servings before unwrapping their forks from the napkins. They both simultaneously picked up a bit of pasta and salsa and placed it in their mouths…

-----

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Triangular International, Front Entrance)**

"UGH! These stupid goggles totally clash with my hair! Do you have anything in pink?" Queen asked sweetly.

"We don't have the time, Queenie. We gotta split." King reprimanded, snapping his own personal darkened-lens goggles over his eyes while removing his sunglasses.

"But it's ugly!"

Smacking his head, King K. irately pulled the goggles over Queen's crown and in front of where her eyes supposedly were.

"Now, come on, dawg! We gotta make up for lost secs, since the bros. already managed to escape!"

Being pulled along by the hand like a small toddler somehow didn't seem to faze the Shadow Queen, as she was still bawling over the color clashing of the goggles she was being forced to wear. Instead, she continued ranting about fashion, not appearing to care about the sand that was adding additional fashion hazards.

"This looks like…our…marked car…" King wedged the envelope out from the wipers and took it inside the vehicle to open it.

"Okay. Why in the world do we have to have another ugly 4x4 just like in the last leg?!" Queen screeched. "This just gets worser and worser! I mean, UGH! Utter nastiness to the max!"

"…" King fought the urge to ricochet around the marked car in his shell as he read the contents of the Route Info.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Triangular International, Parking Lot)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Oh, great…the very last marked car. That is most definitely a horrid sign.)" Smorga remarked sarcastically.

"SMORGSMORG (Desist with your complaining, please.)" Smorgo chided.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (My apologies.)"

While Smorga climbed into the passenger's chair, Smorgo got into the driver's seat with the envelope.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Very nice. A 'needle-in-the-haystack' challenge type of thing is coming up. We have a chance to surpass the other teams.)" Smorgo stated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Tell me our destination so that I can locate it on that map you are holding.)" Smorga commanded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Of course. First, we are to drive to a store located in the heart of Quicksand Falls known as Trinkets Twinklets. I already see it, but you must tell me of the route as I drive.)"

-----

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners- Currently in 3rd (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"Here's the amulet." Andy showed the Chain Chomp charm to the owner of the restaurant, who handed over a clue envelope.

"…AH!" Beldam shrieked; when she reached out to take the clue, the Dry Bones' hand ended up getting stuck on.

"Oh, crud…" The owner pulled his hand loose with his free one and reattached it. "…I seriously lose more customers this way…"

"Okay. Both of us have to finish a full plate of a local spicy food or take a 4-hour penalty at the pit stop." Beldam informed.

"Heck, we'll take eating the food—we can't risk a penalty." Andy stated.

"Agreed."

As soon as the two teammates had shown similar thoughts, the Bony Beetle waiter quickly ushered them towards the back of the restaurant and into an empty table.

"This is really odd…where are Shimi and Waitress?" To voiced, gazing helplessly as the dissimilar team from the first flight received their food.

"We shouldn't have let them drive off by themselves…" Too coughed, grabbing her water. After drinking quite a bit, she gasped for air and continued speaking, "That little mistake might cost us…by now, the other flight probably already touched down…"

Before picking up their eating tools, Andy and Beldam quickly observed the other teams—true to her word, Zess was apparently immune to extreme flavors, and seemed unfazed by the odor and taste of the food. Toadsworth, To, and Too, on the other hand, were having much more trouble, as their plates were still relatively full. After almost every single bite, each racer had to take a large gulp of water, or call the waiter over to refill their big glass.

"I desperately hope that we can tolerate this better than them." Andy muttered. "I never was good with spicy foods."

"Well…neither am I…but I think I can handle it better than them." Beldam said, pointing in reference to the other three troubled racers.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 4th (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"That was a REALLY big stroke of luck…" Waitress murmured as she stepped into the restaurant, Shimi not far behind.

"Where is the coner of this joint?" Shimi quizzed.

"Just a thought, but it's probably the alpha specie here…"

Walking up to the Dry Bones, Waitress held out the amulet and gave him a pleading look. He cackled, and handed over an envelope, managing to let go before his hand broke off again.

"Thank you!" Shimi called out as the manager left to attend to some other customers. "What do we love to goo?"

"…" Waitress gave Shimi an odd look before opening the Route Info. "Okay… 'Both team members must finish a full plate of a local dish known as Shroomcacari. Be warned—the food is really spicy. If you wish not to eat, continue racing, but expect a four-hour penalty before your check-in time at the pit stop.' …Does that mean that this is the last task before the pit stop or something? Because if it is, this is an awfully short leg…"

"It probably isn't."

As a Bony Beetle showed the two to their seats, a relieved Zess and Toadsworth, and To and Too greeted them.

"We were really worried, guys…we didn't know what happened to you." To remarked.

"Well, the sandstorm just made us get lost, that's all…" Waitress responded. "Ooh, this looks really good…almost as nice as what you make, huh, Shimi?"

"…Maybe…" Shimi said testily. "In my opinion, the cacti flower petals should be paced on the outer ledge of the dish as a garlic, not as part of the sauce…"

"You know what? I was having similar thoughts, since it really sorta distorts the spiciness in the salsa." Zess remarked. "Seriously, once you try it, you'll taste how it blocks the strength of the seasonings."

"Not only do we have a couple of food critics, but two seasoned taste and decoration nerds…" Beldam joked.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Trinkets Twinklets Entrance, Quicksand Falls)**

"This is sick! What is with all this stupid swirling wind and all the sand! It's driving me nuts!" Flare complained.

The brothers leapt into the shop, trailing quite a bit of grounded minerals on the floor.

"Oh, crap…" Hamma's jaw dropped. "There's gotta be a million frickin'…things!"

Not the least bit impressed at the astoundingly large amount of various trinkets scattered about the shelves, the brothers started searching for a marked amulet.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth; To & Too; Andy & Beldam; Shimi & Waitress (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"You know, this is a petty rice dish…" Shimi began, "…but I think it'd look better as a gloop."

"…" Zess quickly tried to replace the jumbled words with sensible ones. "…Oh, yes, right… The flavors definitely would rub off on the soup…but they'd have to use a different type of pasta."

As Shimi and Zess, the only oblivious participants, continued eating and making conversation on the perks about the dish, most of the others struggled.

"This feels sort of weird, being waited on instead of being the waitress…" Waitress remarked to the sisters. "I'm so used to being the one carrying trays; I just want to get up and help them work!"

"Old habits die hard, I guess. Routines just get to the brain." To remarked.

"Beldam, I have no idea how you're handling this so easily…" Andy stated, taking a large swig from his glass.

Beldam chuckled. "Think about it for a while and see if you can figure it out…you're a smart guy."

Somehow, Waitress and Beldam were keeping their cool and managing to hold out against constant refills of their water. Andy, Toadsworth, and the sisters continued to require the drowning of the spicy taste. This distribution of handling resulted in Shimi and Waitress gaining on first-place Zess and Toadsworth, of which the latter teammate still had quite a full platter.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Trinkets Twinklets Entrance, Quicksand Falls)**

As the door jingled open, the brothers looked up; neither could believe who'd just entered.

"You've gotta be kidding me…how the heck did they make it here?!" Flare asked in shock.

"Those bumbling idiots actually seem to know what they're doing!" Hamma remarked. "I don't like that, one bit…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Too bad for your emotions and thoughts, hammerhead…)" Smorga taunted, the teasing obviously falling on deaf ears.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Pay them no mind. We must locate an amulet shaped like a Chain Chomp that has a race flag emblazoned somewhere.)" Smorgo reminded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Right…but we will have to begin on these lower shelves. Unless we find some way to jump up to the top ones, these are the ones we shall stick to.)"

-----

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Quicksand Falls, Northern Range)**

"Okay…where the heck do we need to go?" King shook his head. "It's so hard to drive in this mad rave, much less navigate at the same time…"

"Well, hurry up! I don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere forever!" Queen commanded.

"…How in the world does B-Siren put up with her?"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth; To & Too; Andy & Beldam; Shimi & Waitress (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"Keep it up, dear…you're doing fine." Zess encouraged.

"Believe me, I am trying my hardest…" Toadsworth nodded as he fanned his mouth.

By now, the express workers had amazed the other teams by completely blowing past everyone who'd arrived in front of them; they were quickly dwindling down to the last few scraps of pasta and sauce on their respective plates, while most of the others still had a long way to go.

"No one else is hearing us yet…that's a food sign…" Shimi remarked.

"Definitely. The sooner we can go, the better." Waitress said, stuffing another forkful of covered pasta into her mouth.

"They're almost done…wow. I guess we didn't exactly have to worry…" To laughed, quickly grabbing her glass once more after taking a bite.

"Well, we should worry about ourselves, though." Too reminded, carefully inserting a fork load of food into her mouth.

"Yeah…" To shrugged.

"Hang in there, Andy…you're doing fine." Beldam encouraged, drinking a sip of water.

"Whatever…" Andy gasped, grabbing his glass of water once more. "Quit being so modest, already…you're making me feel bad."

"Heh, sure…" Beldam replied mockingly.

-----

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Trinkets Twinklets Entrance, Quicksand Falls)**

"Awesome…we caught up…" King muttered quietly, sneering upon seeing the brothers.

"Oh, dang." Flare gritted his teeth upon making eye contact with the KP Koopa. "That is seriously not cool…"

"OOH, WOW! LOOK AT ALL THESE CUTE LITTLE COLLECTIBLE BROOCHES! AND THEY MATCH MY HAIR!" Queen shrieked. "OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!"

Everyone sweatdropped as Queen started picking up various amulets, blabbering about junk and making various comments.

"THISONELOOKSSOPRETTYWITHITSLITTLEEYEMARKINGS! OHANDTHISONEHASTHISPRETTYLITTLECROWNONTHEHEAD! ANDTHISONE…oh, yuck! This one has this stupid-looking sticker on the back! What a waste!"

King K. perked up as Queen carelessly tossed the last charm away. He caught it in his hand, and started laughing at his unbelievable luck.

"Dawg, what the heck?! We just got here and we leavin'!" King exclaimed. "Queenie, come on!"

As the Koopa somehow dragged the Shadow Queen away from the various assortments of amulets, the two brothers fell over, twitching in disbelief.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Of all the ridiculous, outlandish, preposterous, absurd, unbelievable…DOH! WHAT THE HECK?!)" Smorga screeched.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth; To & Too; Andy & Beldam; Shimi & Waitress (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"Come on, Toadsworth…you're worthy of this. Keep on going…" Zess said kindly, pushing her struggling partner along with her very words. It had only been a matter of seconds before that she'd officially become finished—her plate was pretty much clean, so all she had to do was wait for Toadsworth to finish eating.

"Man…I dunno if I can finish this off…" Andy stated.

"Hey. You don't want to be beaten by a girl at something as simple as eating, do you?" Beldam teased.

"…Oh, shut up! Man, you're even more annoying than King when it comes to insulting me!" Andy shook his head as Beldam started laughing.

Suddenly, a pair of forks clattered onto a table. Noticing this, a Bony Beetle carted over an envelope to the full team.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 1st (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

Excited at receiving the clue first, Shimi opened the envelope while Waitress quietly murmured a word of thanks to the waiter, who simply grinned in response.

"Boot grin-to…" Shimi began.

"Wait! Um…maybe you should let me read it." Waitress offered, giggling nervously.

"…Uh…okay." Shimi shrugged, and handed the folder over.

"'Route Info. Drive back to Triangular International and sign up for one of two charters to Pyramid Park, Chomp Fields. Once there, locate the tent belonging to the red Chain Chomp. There, you will locate your next clue.'" Waitress read.

_Teams must now drive 6 miles back to Triangular International and sign up for one of two charter flights leaving two hours apart to Pyramid Park, located in the dated area of Chomp Fields, 92 miles away. This small colony of ancient ruins and temples, wild Chain Chomps, and mysterious pyramids sits on the outer edge of the Chomp-infested desert. Once here, teams must grab a Chomp-cab from the airstrip to take them approximately 1 mile to this castle, the home of the most vicious, but tame, Chain Chomp in the park. Teams will find their next clue within its boundaries._

"We're mowing airthorns again?" Shimi asked.

"I guess so."

The train workers waved as they headed down the corridor of tables and rounded the corner on their way out of the restaurant.

"I just don't get how they could've eaten so fast and so easily…" Too murmured. "This is SO hard…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare; Smorgo & Smorga (Trinkets Twinklets, Quicksand Falls)**

The fruitless search for a Chain Chomp amulet marked with a flag continued, with the brothers searching the higher shelves, and the Smorg rolling along the lower ones.

"This is really starting to bug me…where the heck is one of those darn amulets?!" Flare growled.

"Well, if you'd stop searching with your mouth and actually used your eyes and brain, we'd already be outta here." Hamma retorted.

"…Whaddyou just say?!" Flare asked as he turned around, a dangerous poison lingering in his quivering voice.

"Heh, you heard me right! All you've been doing since we got here is yapping yer little beak off." Hamma sneered. In retaliation, Flare snarled and leapt at him.

Yet another one of the brothers' classic dust clouds appeared in the store as they started pounding each other, knocking over the shelves of amulets, causing them to fall to the floor.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (There is always a nonviolent solution to everything. They are desperately in requirement of social aid.)" Smorga stated blatantly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How true…however, I feel that it can wait.)" Smorgo chuckled, rolling over to one of the charms that had been knocked down. On its back was the familiar symbol of the race.

"SMORGSMORG (What good fortune. Maybe we should stick behind them more often.)" Smorga suggested jokingly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I doubt the goodness of that atrocious idea…)" Smorgo laughed.

Minding their own business, the Smorg calmly moved around the cloud of flying fists and went back out into the cloud of flying sand.

"Huh? What the—where'd those Smorg go?!" Hamma demanded, holding off his brother as he noticed the absence of the short team.

"…They must've found an amulet! Dang!" Flare pushed Hamma away. "Come on; search the floor! There's gotta be one with a flag on it somewhere in this stupid mess!"

Obediently, the Hammer Brother took to searching alongside his partner, groping around on the ground in hopes of getting lucky.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 2nd (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"Goodness me…" Toadsworth finished off the water in his glass, even going as far as putting the ice in his mouth. "Now I remember why the princess is only supposed to dine on sweet foods…"

"You did wonderful, dear." Zess reassured. "Let's see…okay. We should be getting on the first charter flight along with Shim-stress, if we hurry and don't get lost."

"Alright, then. Lead the way." Toadsworth nodded.

The elderly Toads got up from the chairs and hurried off.

"I hope we can make that first charter…" To murmured.

"If we want to, we have to hurry…" Too said, fanning her mouth before taking a drink.

"Okay, I'm finished. Come on, Andy! Put some jaw into that chewing!" Beldam encouraged.

"Oh, gosh, will you stop? You sound like a cheerleader…" Andy complained, putting another forkful in his mouth, and immediately feeling the fire rise up on his taste buds.

"That's the whole point, silly."

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners- Currently in 5th (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"This restaurant is so frickin' ugly! I mean, the theme SO totally doesn't match…the outside is supposed to look all festive, but we have this dreary staff! What gives?!" Queen demanded.

"…Um…thank you?" The Dry Bones grinned.

"THATWASNOTACOMPLIMENTYOUIMBECILE!" Queen screamed.

"Hey, calm down!" King directed. He opened the envelope. "…You gotta be kiddin'…oh, crud…"

As if that was the cue, the Bony Beetle pushed the team towards their table at the back, much to Queen's chagrin. Complaining, whining, and screaming in terror and frustration at the same time, she eventually quieted down upon reaching the table.

"So? What are we eat—OHMYGOSHTHATISDISGUSTING!"

"Great…now we have to deal with some background music…" Beldam muttered.

"WHAT?!"

"…Apparently, working with King K. so far hasn't helped her very much…" To said, brushing the pink hair out of her eyes as she took another much-needed drink of water.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Trinkets Twinklets, Quicksand Falls)**

"I got one!" Hamma shouted, picking up a Chain Chomp amulet. "Come on; we gotta catch up!"

"You don't need to tell me twice, stupid!" Flare retorted.

Shielding themselves from the sandstorm, the brothers rushed over to the last marked car and got in.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Triangular International, Parking Lot)**

Carefully maneuvering the marked 4x4 into an open parking spot, Waitress got out of the vehicle and took her backpack from Shimi. The two then rushed into the airport to avoid the wrath of the sandstorm.

"Hey, that's odd…that Goomba that was giving away the goggles is gone…" Waitress remarked. "Oh well. Shimi, keep an eye out for a counter with a race flag hanging above it."

"Right."

After walking through the front hall and entering the ticket-booking area, the two were quick in finding a counter with the red and yellow race flag hanging above it. They rushed over, and discovered two clipboards with pens attached on strings.

"Oh no…there are only three slots on this first charter flight!" Waitress cried worriedly. "I don't think To and Too will be able to make it unless Beldam and Andy screw up…"

"Well, they kelped us, so we'll pull through for gem light?" Shimi responded optimistically.

"…Huh?" Waitress did her best to figure out what he'd said, but gave up after a few seconds. "Um…sure?"

(Shimi & Waitress- 1st on Charter 1)

"I guess that since they helped us in the beginning and stuff, we should go ahead and return it. After all, they're depending on us…and it's not like we'd lose on purpose just to get them out." Waitress remarked to no one in particular.

"…Why didn't I drink to that?" Shimi frowned.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 6th (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"…These things are here for the race? That's…weird…" The owner made a strange face as he handed the envelope to the Smorg.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Everyone is a critic…)" Smorgo said, rolling his/her/its eyes.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG ('Route Info. Both team members must finish a full plate of a local dish known as Shroomcacari. Be warned—the food is really spicy. If you wish not to eat, continue racing, but expect a four-hour penalty before your check-in time at the pit stop.')" Smorga read. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, of course we are going to dine…it is not like it will be a problem for us or anything…we just cannot use silverware.)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (We are such barbarians.)" Smorgo muttered, shaking his/her/its head, or in other words, his/her/its entire body.

Within seconds, the waiter came and rolled the Smorg along towards one of the tables.

"Hey! What are those things doing here?" Beldam demanded.

To giggled weakly. "Looks like a certain pair of brothers got beat."

"NO WAY, KING! THERE IS NO WAY I AM GOING TO EAT THIS SLOP! NUH-UH!" Queen yelled, pushing the plate onto the floor, causing it to smash, and its contents to fly everywhere. "EWW! THAT IS SO GROSS!"

"…" King calmly placed his glass of water back down on the table. "Um…you know…I heard all the cool chicks dig eatin' spice without complaints…"

"I DON'T CARE! I'M A BEAUTIFUL MODEL, NOT A 'CHICK,' YOU IDIOT!" Queen screamed, taking the replacement dish one of the waiters brought and throwing it at him.

"…I friggin' hate my job…" The Bony Beetle bellowed, walking away.

A fork clattered against an empty plate.

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners- Currently in 3rd (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"Thank you." Beldam told the waiter, opening the envelope while her partner drank the rest of his water. "...Two charter flights, huh? Alright…well, we can't afford getting lost out there, that's for sure."

"Yeah…"

The pair stood up, and headed in the direction of the door.

"Hey, King…take it easy, 'kay?" Andy asked, giving his regular partner a high-five. "You've already made it here without going crazy…"

"I guess, dawg…whatever. Just take care of yourself." King advised.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I assume the other teams absent must have already finished their food…we must hurry.)" Smorgo stated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (EASY FOR YOU TO SAY! OW, HOT!)" Smorga screeched, falling out of his/her/its chair and rolling around on the ground in pain.

"…EW! Get away from me!" Queen shrieked.

"We're taking way too long to do this…" Too said, sweating. "Do you think we'll make that first charter they're talking about?"

"Maybe…I really hope so…" To responded, disdainfully looking down at the plate in front of her. "This is so hard…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

After receiving and reading their clue, the brothers didn't hesitate to wait for the waiter—they could tell where they needed to go from the screams of the Shadow Queen.

"Looks like most of the party is still here…good. We still stand a chance." Flare smirked.

"Hrgh." King narrowed his eyes behind his goggles, and turned away.

"Hey, bro. This'll be easy for ya; it's some kind of spicy dish." Hamma informed.

"Well, you better not trail either. I wanna be gone from all these losers as soon as possible." Flare stated, picking up his fork as the food arrived.

"…LOSERS?! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW, I WAS A PART OF THE BEST-LOOKING PEOPLE IN THE WORLD SOCIETY 1,000 YEARS AGO!" Queen hollered.

"Musta worn off. You're definitely not…" Flare trailed off as he and Hamma broke into fits of laughter.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Just concentrate and ignore the uneducated idiots.)" Smorgo advised.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Believe me, I am trying.)" Smorga replied. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (But it is hard…when…WATER!)"

Seconds after receiving his plate, Flare downed every single scrap without breaking a sweat.

"Bro, come on!" Flare urged. "…Man, I shoulda at least spread it out…that tasted pretty good."

"Shut up. It's not like I spit fire out of my mouth all the time, you know…"

"…Hamma's eating fast. We have to hurry up and finish." To said urgently.

"I'm trying, sis…" Too answered.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Triangular International, Ticket Reservation Center)**

"Capital! We made second on the first flight!" Toadsworth exclaimed, writing his and Zess' names down on the clipboard.

(Zess & Toadsworth- 2nd on Charter 1)

"I really hope that the sisters can round it out, though…they seemed to be struggling back at the restaurant." Zess mumbled.

"Let's locate Shim-stress." Toadsworth said. "I neglected to mention to them our slight advantage in having background information about Pyramid Park."

With that, the two Toads walked off in search of their allies.

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners (Triangular International, Ticket Reservation Center)**

"Last on flight number one…well, that's a relief." Andy stated.

"Sure is. If we got stuck on that one, we'd be two hours behind. That'd be awful, considering what's at stake for us…" Beldam sighed.

(Andy & Beldam- Last on Charter 1)

"Well, it's kinda double-edged…the other two teams won't exactly be too happy that we took their friends' spot." Andy reminded.

"They shouldn't be. To and Too will just place near fish fry and his little squirt, anyway…they shouldn't be concerned about keeping their alliance together for this entire leg." Beldam replied nonchalantly.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4th (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

"We're done!" To exclaimed exhaustedly. Immediately, the Bony Beetle carted over an envelope.

"Thanks…" Too stood up, ripping open the clue. "…'Route Info. Drive back to Triangular International and sign up for one of two charters to Pyramid Park, Chomp Fields. Once there, locate the tent belonging to the red Chain Chomp. There, you will locate your next clue.'"

"Oh, I hope we can make the first one…" To wished.

"Let's go."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 5th (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

Shortly after the sisters had gotten up and left, Hamma finished off the spicy concoction.

"Took you long enough." Flare smirked, opening the envelope.

"You know what? Shut up." Hamma retorted. "Now, hurry up and read it! We can't lose time to those girls!"

"We won't. There are charter flights going to some park in this same desert." Flare stated. "If we hurry, we can beat 'em to the airport!"

**King & Queen; Smorgo & Smorga (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

The departure of the sisters and brothers had left the Smorg alone with the team of royal names. While Smorgo and Smorga were making progress, Queen hadn't even done so much as to pick up her fork; she'd stopped throwing the platters to the ground a while ago, and had resorted to just sitting there.

"Come on, Queenie…I know you don't like doin' stuff like this, but we gotta split!" King begged.

"I already told you, King! NO!" Queen slammed her fist down on the table. "There is no way in the world I am eating this pig slop! No way, no how!"

"…We are so coming in last…" King muttered harshly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (All this work will have gone to waste unless everyone else has gotten lost in the sandstorm.)" Smorgo remarked, quickly choking down on the Shroomcacari, drinking when needed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Disappointing. To think that we were doing well…now there is almost no likelihood of catching that first flight.)" Smorga stated matter-of-factly.

-----

**To & Too; Hamma & Flare (Triangular International, Front Entrance)**

The two teams barged into the airport at almost the same time, but within seconds, it became clear who was more fit. Although the brothers barreled into the ticket reservation area, a few moments of hopeless searching caused them to fall behind the Toad sisters, who quickly spotted the marked counter. However, just as they reached the desk, the guys dove under the ropes and moved in front, barely missing the girls' feet with their outstretched legs.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" Too demanded, stumbling as she tried to stop.

"Seriously. We got here first for the reservations, so you shouldn't try to cut in front of us." To warned.

"These ticket agents are meant for everybody, girls. She's going to help us get on that charter right now." Hamma replied smartly, referring to the Monty Mole sitting behind the computer.

"You can't do that!" Too argued. "To get onto a charter, you have to—"

"And why not? Excuse me ma'am, but we need to get on the charter…" Hamma said sweetly.

"…Uh, bro? Bro?" Flare poked his brother's shoulder.

"Not now, you idiot!" Hamma whispered.

Shaking their heads, To and Too walked over to the side, where the clipboards were located. They frowned upon seeing the full first charter.

"Oh…there were only three spots, after all…" Too sighed. "At least we tried…"

"Yeah. That's all that counts…" To looked over and gave Flare a hurt look as she wrote her team's names down on the clipboard.

(To & Too- 1st on Charter 2)

"Come on…maybe we can do a bit of research to get the edge." Too suggested.

"I think that everyone still remaining in the race right now is against the Ham-bros. That display in the airport, where they were willing to be so reckless like that…it sort of released us into the same zone." To explained. "They have it coming for them, they really do…their cockiness goes towards everyone, like it's all the same for them. …Even though it's a competition, it gives them no right to act so ruthlessly."

"That's not saying that we haven't done anything like it, though. I don't recall anything like that with us as the offenders." Too muttered. "I think that out of the rest of the racers…minus the Smorg…we don't know how they feel…we had the least of negative feelings towards anybody. But, nobody shrugs us off like that. That mistake is seriously going to make them see just how competitive we are when it comes to racing."

"…Oh. The charter sign-up is over there. Thanks." Hamma said cheerfully to the agent. "…Oh, dang! We're still stuck on the second plane!"

"No duh, smart one." Flare rolled his eyes.

(Hamma & Flare- 2nd on Charter 2)

"We just need to do what we need to do to get ahead. If someone thinks it's unfair, that's fine with me. The girls don't need to take it all personal…we're just trying to race, that's all." Hamma shrugged. "I mean, gosh…talk about complain-much. What kind of jerks would hold a grudge against someone else for virtually nothing?"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 6th (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

After spending quite a while at the restaurant, the Smorg finally managed to clean off their platters and receive their envelope.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This definitely has been a long day of difficulties…we messed up so badly.)" Smorga said, scanning the Route Info.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We still have a chance, so do not start writing your elimination speech just yet. The least we can do is finish this off strong by not getting lost out there.)" Smorgo stated.

As the Smorg rolled off, a quiet King K. patiently watched as Queen continued to struggle in eating the spicy dish. It was clear that tears were rolling down her face—whether it was from the stinging sauce or from utter frustration was unknown.

"I don't know how the heck you got me started, King…but you're going to pay!" Queen cried out, washing down another forkful with water.

"…" King remained silent, instead merely gesturing for her to continue consuming the dish.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Triangular International, Ticket Reservation Center)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Great…a high counter. Get on my head so you can reach that, will you?)" Smorgo asked, rolling up to the desk.

Smorga jumped on top of his/her/its partner and moved the pen to sign them up for the charter.

(Smorgo & Smorga- 3rd on Charter 2)

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay, it is done.)" Smorga proclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Good…so, when is the departure?)" Smorgo questioned curiously.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Apparently, to give time for those two tasks, the first one leaves late tonight.)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Odd.)"

-----

As the sun started to set on the horizon, the winds started to dwindle down and the sandstorm began to die. This weather change allowed for a few residents to stretch their legs outdoors before the nighttime came over the land.

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Sphinx-Jinx Sands, Quicksand Falls)**

Still as tolerant as ever, King continued to offer the support of his silence to his ailing partner, who was constantly having to drink.

"Please, King! I've been here for over a whole freakin' hour eating this poison! Can't we just take the four hour penalty at the pit stop? Please?!" Queen pleaded. "I swear, I won't act stupid the rest of this leg! Really! Just let me stop!"

"…" King's silence unnerved the Shadow Queen, causing her to grab her head in frustration.

"KING?! Are you listening to me, you yellow beast?! You better not be asleep behind those goggles!" Queen yelled threateningly.

"I just really ain't used to workin' with women like you, Queenie." King apologized. "My bad, really…"

"Look. I just want to get out of here. It's not too much to ask!" Queen answered impatiently. "Now, please! Let me quit this! It's too much to handle!"

"…Do ya want to risk being eliminated?" King asked. "…By the way it sounds…you don't exactly like bein' here."

"…What…?" Queen squeaked in a tiny voice. "…No…really, you have it all wrong…"

"Have what all wrong?"

"…Uh…" Queen sniffed. "…Me…you don't know me…you barely know me…and I doubt you know who I am or my attitude about this!"

"…Enlighten me on the last part. I got a feelin' I know your explanation firsthand."

"…O-Okay…" Queen wiped her face of her tears. "…You see…the truth is…I really do like being on this race. Really, I do…it's just that…a lot of it is so hard…"

King nodded. "Yup. But ya know, shirkin' ain't helpin' nobody. That just makes it…well, harder on yer partner."

"…I guess…but why should I have to do stuff like this just to get to see the world? It isn't right!"

"Is it right to force your partner to do all the work?"

"…No…I guess not…" Queen whimpered. "…The thing is, I'm not used to this kind of thing…the world has changed so much since a thousand years ago…this humongous adaptation just blew right by me… Before the race started, I was as excited as Beldam…we joked around and kidded a lot; evil was out of our minds when it came to just having fun… But…I quickly realized what we'd have to be doing…and well…I didn't know how to do any of those things…so—"

"You played dumb to get out." King inferred.

"…Yeah…how'd you know?" Queen asked, pointing accusingly.

"Well, Queenie…you're not the only one who's been clueless, ya know. We all been around that block more than once." King replied. "I was the same way when I got promoted to team leader of the KPs. Didn't have no idea what to do to train; unfortunately, neither did meh teammies. I shirked for a bit…hopin' for the best. But one day, Prince Mush…he noticed it, and sat down with me just like I'm doin' right now with you. There's nothin' good about holdin' off just for your own benefits. Whether you're scared, proud, anythin' else—ain't gonna matter in the long run."

"…I see…" Queen said, slowly nodding. "…But this change…I don't have any idea how to drive or anything! I got really lucky the times I did have to drive…"

"…That ain't exactly the best reason." King smirked. "You fall to Zs during the driver's ed course pre-race?"

"…Yeah…" Queen sighed in defeat. "Well, you've run me dry of my secrets, I guess…but you better NOT tell Beldam! ...Especially that last part. She'll go crazy if she knows I didn't know how to drive!"

"I won't." King responded. "Just promise me this…I know that we ain't teammates after this leg…but tryin' your hardest can make up for the time you spent lamentin' over nothin'. Make up for it. Think of it as a fun punishment, runnin' the race at your hardest."

This last comment caused Queen to fall into deep thought.

-----

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Triangular International, Front Entrance)**

"Um…well…although we nearly crashed and died, it was okay…" King laughed nervously. "But…still, I don't think you ain't ready or cut out for drivin' yet…"

"Oh…but I did drive back in Faire Square…" Queen argued.

"…Fine…you can drive, just not in this ruggedness."

Laughing like happy friends, the two trudged up to the marked counter, where Queen wrote their names on the clipboard.

(King & Queen- Last on Charter 2)

"We still have a chance to catch up at Pyramid Park…right?" Queen asked hopefully.

"Yeah. It's always on." King responded, eyeing the names of the brothers.

-----

**(Charter Flight 1- Departing at 2:00 A.M.)**

Because of the late nature of the departure time, the three teams boarding the charter were somewhat drowsy as they sat down in their chairs. They'd all been given seats near the front; the old Toads sat across from the train employees, while the mismatched pair was behind them.

_The first charter flight out of Quicksand Falls for Pyramid Park contains only three out of the seven teams: mismatched partners Andy and Beldam, express workers Shimi and Waitress, and possibly dating couple Zess and Toadsworth._

-----

Due to the lack of sunlight, Pyramid Park was obviously quite dark—however, several lights could be seen on in the four Chomp tents, the two '1,001 Orbs' Orb shops, and the small building located under the Bowser Sphinx, located on the edge of a circular pool of crystal clear water. In the middle of the small pond were several glittering objects, too small to be seen.

Approximately one mile away from the small civilization, the Pyramid Park airport was slightly better lit. Strangely enough, activity was quite present within and outside the airport—Chain Chomps barked, woofed, howled, and roamed about, causing large amounts of low-pitched noise.

**(Charter Flight 1- Arriving at 3:38 A.M.)**

**Shimi & Waitress; Zess & Toadsworth; Andy & Beldam (Pyramid Park Airport, Terminal A4)**

Streaming ahead of their rivals, Andy and Beldam coasted out of the terminal and through the airport with a comfortable lead as they searched for an exit with Chomp-cabs hovering about. Somewhat behind them, the allied duos jogged along.

"That should be the taxi pick-up area!" Andy pointed.

The Big Bandit-Shadow Siren duo burst through the doors and skidded to a stop upon noticing exactly what the Chomp-cabs were. Expectedly, they involved Chain Chomps, but the chain was attached to a wooden platform with somewhat high rails—attached to the entrance was a metal box, presumably for the taxi payment.

"Excuse me, but we need to go to the castle belonging to the vicious Chain Chomp in Pyramid Park." Beldam requested.

"ARF! ARF! Hop on! ARF! ARF! I know where that is! WOOF!"

"Alright…" Andy shrugged.

Andy and Beldam got into the sled and immediately grabbed the rails as the Chain Chomp took off. Shortly after that Chomp-cab left, Shimi and Waitress, and Zess and Toadsworth arrived on the scene.

"We'll ride in the same taxi." Zess told the co-workers, who nodded.

"Good sir, we would like to be transported to Pyramid Park, at the royal castle of the red Chain Chomp." Toadsworth requested. "All four of us."

"ARF! WOOF! Sure thing, old man! WOOF! ARF!"

"…Wow…I bless their zero manners." Shimi stated.

-----

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners (Park Desert)**

"Oh, gosh! The least that they could do is shorten the chain!" Beldam cried.

It didn't take long for the team to realize that the hyperactive Chain Chomp's erratic movements affected absolutely all parts of the taxi—as a result of every little turn the Chain Chomp made, it moved from the chain to the wooden sled, causing it to jump, sway, and crash about mercilessly among the sand dunes.

"Now I think I know why its mainly Chain Chomps that live here!" Andy said, gritting his teeth and clenching the rail as the cab was sent into the air by a hill.

**Shimi & Waitress; Zess & Toadsworth (Park Desert)**

"Someone, make this crazy thing stop!" Waitress shrieked.

"I've never even been feared one before! Are they always this dizzy?" Shimi questioned.

"They have this amazing amount of energy, old chap." Toadsworth replied, gripping onto the bar. "Quite interesting, eh wot?"

"Insane is more like it!" Zess shouted.

-----

At the moment, Pyramid Park seemed void of life—the only movement was the flickering of lights and the moving of quicksand. However, with the rapid approach of an enthused Chomp-cab that was creating quite a dust storm, more movement was created in the area.

Hanging on for dear life, Andy and Beldam shouted as their taxi came to a halt in front of a break between the two barricades in front of the commons.

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners (Pyramid Park Entrance)**

"WOOF WOOF ARF! We're here! WOOF!"

"…You don't say…" Beldam answered dizzily.

After paying the 'driver' and sending him off, the duo quickly looked about.

"…Wait…where the heck is the castle? There are no castles around here…" Beldam remarked in confusion.

"Um…" Andy squinted. "What's that up there? Looks like there are a large amount of lights."

Beldam turned to where her partner was pointing. His hand was set in the direction of a remarkably magnificent-looking doghouse, sitting atop the platforms.

"That's probably it." Beldam said, noting an approaching sand cloud. "Come on."

**Shimi & Waitress; Zess & Toadsworth (Pyramid Park Entrance)**

"They just got here, too! Great!" Shimi exclaimed.

"We need to pool the payment…" Zess mumbled, depositing some coins from her team's card. Waitress followed suit.

The two teams disembarked from the cab and quickly pursued the sole team in front of them.

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners- Currently in 1st (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

Wary that their adversaries were still tailing them, Andy and Beldam rushed up and into the house of the Red Chomp. They found the inhabitant wide-awake and alert, with several black, blindfolded Chain Chomps behind him. He nodded to them, and gave them a toothy grin. Noticing the clue box situated near the side of the giant doghouse's walls, they headed over and grabbed an envelope.

"I had a feeling that this was coming…" Beldam sighed.

"'Roadblock. Who is the guiding force to their team's success?'" Andy read.

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock, that team member will have to choose one of these blindfolded Chain Chomps and do one of the relaxed activities done by workers of Pyramid Park. By using bones, the team member will have to guide their Chain Chomp around the numerous bumps and falls in the left section down to the small pond, where they will pick up a Star that must be delivered directly above to the Bowser Sphinx. Although it sounds like a relatively simple task, participants will have to figure out that the Chain Chomp will follow the sound of the bone's thumps against the ground in a straight line, and that it will be unable to avoid any obstacles or falls due to its lack of sight. Once the Star has been retrieved and delivered to the Bowser Sphinx, the spirit will grant them their next clue._

"Well, that's sort of an odd question to be asking, considering our situation…" Andy remarked. "I'm not saying that I'm the guiding force, but I'll go ahead and do it…it says here that whoever does needs to sit on the Chain Chomp."

"Tch. Well, you can go right ahead…after that taxi ride, I don't really want to climb ON one…" Beldam muttered.

Andy quickly scanned the route on the additional paper that he was supposed to take. He then grabbed the chain of one of the blindfolded Chomps, a bag full of bones, and headed outside.

**Shimi & Waitress; Zess & Toadsworth- Currently in 2nd & 3rd (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"'Roadblock. Who is the guiding force to their team's success?'" Zess read. "…I'd say that's you, dear."

"…Why thank you…I think." Toadsworth's moustache drooped as he read the inside scoop about the Roadblock. "…Goodness…"

"Wha? Why me?" Shimi asked.

"Well, first off…you've done less Roadblocks than me. Second…" Waitress paused to think. "…Nope, only reason!"

Shimi groaned, but followed Toadsworth to choose a Chain Chomp and bag of bones.

**Andy (Pyramid Park, Roadblock Route)**

"Okay…this shouldn't be too hard…" Andy muttered, throwing his first bone in the direction of the bottom of the stairs.

Almost immediately, the blindfolded doglike sphere reacted, bouncing in the direction of the bone, but ended up crashing into the wall.

"…Whoa…" Andy groaned dizzily, managing to prop himself back up.

"The way that the Chain Chomp moved was so erratic, it was like trying to control a car for the very first time—it's like you had no control over how your vehicle reacted." Andy laughed. "Really, it was kinda odd, though…the Chomps were able to listen for the sound of the bone hitting the ground, and accurately follow it. Compared to the taxi-driving counterparts, those guys actually…erm…seemed intelligent…"

-----

**(Charter Flight 2- Departing at 4:02 A.M.)**

Knowing that they were behind, the four teams on the second charter flight seemed to be fighting the decision of whether to be active and excited or tired and sleepy. By the time the plane had taken off, most of them had already fallen asleep.

_This is the second charter headed for Pyramid Park, containing the other four of the seven teams. On board are sisters To and Too, brothers Hamma and Flare, things Smorgo and Smorga, and mismatched partners King and Queen._

-----

**Toadsworth (Pyramid Park, Roadblock Route)**

"OH MY!" Toadsworth yelled as his Chain Chomp bumped into a rock mound. To say the least, he was thrown off balance, and quite startled.

"ARF! ARF! BARK! …Ow…"

**Shimi (Pyramid Park, Roadblock Route)**

"Be careful, now…go rice and flow…" Shimi whispered. He threw the bone, but it accidentally flew off of his fin at an awkward angle, landing outside the park.

Once the sound waves reached the Chain Chomp, unfortunately, there was no stopping it.

"EEK!"

**Beldam; Waitress; Zess (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"It looks really simple…but they're having some trouble with just throwing those bones. That's kinda embarrassing…" Beldam murmured humorously.

"Well, I'm certainly glad I'm not doing it…I'd have probably flown off by now…they must have some grip or something." Zess chuckled.

**Andy (Pyramid Park, KlapTrap Pond)**

As his Chain Chomp somehow calmly stopped in front of the pond, Andy jumped off.

"Cool…there are the Stars…" Andy stated, wading into the water. Upon reaching the middle, he picked up one of the glimmering five-pointed objects and waded back out.

"WOOF! ARF! Are we almost there? I heard water… WOOF!"

"Yeah, we're almost done…we just need to get to the Bowser Sphinx." Andy answered, taking a look at the information again. "Okay…so I have to head up that way…man. All the way back up to the castle just to get to the Sphinx?"

**Shimi (Pyramid Park, KlapTrap Pond)**

Several throws after Andy had already passed by, Shimi reached the small body of water. He hopped off his Chomp and into the water, and reached the Stars with no trouble.

"…These are so petty…" Shimi remarked dreamily, bounding out of the pool. "Toadsworth, you can do it! You're almost here!"

**Toadsworth (Pyramid Park, KlapTrap Pond)**

"Oh my goodness…that certainly was not an easy thing to do…" Toadsworth muttered, getting into the pond to retrieve a Star.

"ARF ARF ARF! You're telling me! ARF! ARF! My head hurtie…"

"I apologize, old chap…really." Toadsworth patted the Chain Chomp's head while throwing a bone.

**Andy (Pyramid Park, Bowser Sphinx)**

After briefly passing the castle, Andy managed to navigate his Chomp to the Sphinx without any more troubles. He stepped off, and placed the Star in the treasure chest of the Bowser Sphinx.

"…Okay…" Andy murmured.

"Very well, mortal…" The Bowser Sphinx boomed. "You have successfully delivered your cargo… In return, here is your needed information."

Andy looked up in surprise as an envelope floated out of seemingly nowhere and into his hands. The same mysterious force caused the blindfold to fly off of his Chain Chomp.

"ARF! WOOF! Finally, I am free! ARF!"

"Awesome." Andy took off running back towards the doghouse.

**Shimi (Pyramid Park, Bowser Sphinx)**

"Here's your Ztar, now…" Shimi informed.

"ZTAR?! You fool!" The Sphinx bellowed. "What you possessed was a Star… Watch your language…and your head…"

The Cheep-Cheep gasped as the envelope landed on his head fin.

"…This race bust keeps on getting weirder and weirder…" Shimi murmured.

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners- Currently in 1st (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

Gasping from the run in dodging beeline Chain Chomps, the Big Bandit made his way over to his current partner.

"Okay…that was a really tiring Roadblock…I feel like I want to go back to sleep…" Andy murmured, handing the envelope over.

"When we get to the pit stop, big boy." Beldam teased, ripping open the yellow covering. "Ooh…neat. 'Detour. Golden Brick Arm or Serpentine Charm. How would you have made money back in the pyramid-building days?'"

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have a choice between two historic methods of earning money, used back in the days when the pyramids were still under construction. Golden Brick Arm or Serpentine Charm._

_In Golden Brick Arm, teams will have to ride a Chomp-cab 4 miles to this place—the Golden Peaks, three of the tallest pyramids in the entire wilderness, and few of the only remaining ones made from solid, polished gold, instead of brick and stone. They will then have to correctly place ropes in the correct areas to make an ancient pulley work. After doing so, the team will have to work together to use their new pulley to lift a 200 pound golden sphinx arm and transport it five feet to another target. Once that is complete, they will receive their next clue._

_In Serpentine Charm, teams will have to take a Chomp-cab 2 miles to this small station in the park, known simply as the Snake Crevasse. Both team members will need to quickly learn the basics in playing a pungi from an expert snake charmer. Once they have passed all the lessons that the teacher can give them, they will get a chance to attempt charming snakes. By simply playing their musical instruments with the right methods and techniques, getting the snakes to rise from their jars should be a simple task. Once both team members have displayed their basic mastery of the skill, they will receive their next clue._

"A Detour right after the Roadblock, huh?" Andy voiced. "Interesting…so, which one do you want to do?"

"Well, I've never really played an instrument before…a few starter lessons for snake charming sounds really cool!" Beldam exclaimed.

"Alright, then. We better get—there's a Chomp-cab over there! We won't have to use that Chomp Whistle we got at the airport!"

The mismatched team ran down the stairs, whistling and waving for the wandering Chomp-cab to stop.

**Toadsworth (Pyramid Park, Bowser Sphinx)**

"It has been a while since we have come to visit, hasn't it?" Toadsworth murmured, placing the Star into the treasure chest.

"…Do I know you?!" The Bowser Sphinx demanded. "You weren't one of those Star-stealing thieves… Were you…?"

"No, my good lad, of course not." Toadsworth said defensively. "Why, I never…"

Somewhat offended, Toadsworth turned around and walked up the stairs with the envelope, while his Chain Chomp ran wild.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 2nd (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"'Detour. Golden Brick Arm or Serpentine Charm. How would you have made money back in the pyramid-building days?'" Waitress read. "Oh, this sounds like a really cool split. What should we do, guys?"

"I want to snake the charm!" Shimi exclaimed. "Er, I mean, charm the snake! That sounds really neat!"

"I've never really been fond of snakes…but…I guess it's safe enough." Zess nodded.

"Alright. I'll go down with Shimi and flag a taxi. You guys follow, and we'll wait, okay?"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 3rd (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"So, we all agreed on Serpentine Charm?" Toadsworth inquired as his team started down the pathway towards the entrance of the park.

"Yes, we did." Zess responded. "It should be interesting enough of a task…I've never even seen one of those snake-charming instruments before."

"Nor have I, but we have our chance now."

Rushing down the steps, the pair discovered that their allies had already found a calm taxi and were waiting for them.

"Need a lift?" Shimi questioned.

-----

Ironically, the small outpost named the Snake Crevasse was located dangerously close to a very large snake pit that was surrounded by metal fences. The small settlement consisted of a few tents and concrete buildings, each with several colorful jars standing on the outside. Because the whole area was still dark, it was lit by several lanterns hung from the tent sides.

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners (Snake Crevasse)**

Dizzily disembarking their Chomp-cab, the mixed teammates paid the driving Chain Chomp and stumbled over to the tents.

"Cool…welcome to Snake Crevasse," stated one of the charmers, a blue robe-wearing Bandit.

"Thanks. So…are we going to get down to the lessons?" Andy asked eagerly.

"Yup." The Bandit turned towards a table outside his tent, in the middle of two vases. He picked up two pungis and handed them to the duo.

"Ooh…this surface feels so neat." Beldam remarked.

"…Um…yeah. Well, you hold the been like this…"

**Shimi & Waitress; Zess & Toadsworth (Snake Crevasse)**

"They beat us here again…geez." Shimi murmured.

The allies got off of the wooden ride and pooled their money together for the payment. They rushed over to two separate tents.

"Hello…shall we get started?" asked a Monty Mole, who handed two pungis to Zess and Toadsworth.

"You two ready?" inquired a Desert Goomba to Shimi and Waitress.

As their two instructors started off with the basics in basic breathing, mouth structure, and instrument playing position, the foursome followed along.

"So, try playing a note." The Bandit instructed. Andy and Beldam complied, each blowing into their instrument to produce a sound. "Alright…pretty decent sound coming out."

"That's a relief…" Beldam murmured.

"Now, we need to work on the next note. Remember, to get the snake to come out, you have to play your tune strongly with the right notes. Okay. The next one is fingered by…"

For a long period of time, the air was filled with cracked notes, unconfident sounds, and verbal instructions. Because they'd arrived first, Andy and Beldam were ahead in the lessons, but surprisingly, Zess and Toadsworth were making quick progress as well. Unfortunately, Shimi's large fish lips posed as a problem in making a good hold on the mouthpiece of the been.

"Alright. So, are you ready?"

"I think so."

"Right, then. Just play the line, and if you do it right, the snake will come slithering up from its vase."

Beldam nodded, and clamped her mouth around the mouthpiece. Inhaling strongly, she blew out her air into the instrument, producing an enchanting melody…that caused several dancing snakes to arise from the surrounding jars.

"Oh, cool!" Beldam exclaimed. "Did you see the way they moved, Andy?! That is so neat!"

"Uh…yeah." Andy smirked, and got his chops ready to play. However, his exhalation was jarred because of pent-up laughter.

"…Come on…you've got to be kidding me." Beldam shook her head disapprovingly.

"Go ahead and try and play the tune if you want," said the Monty Mole.

"Will do, my good fellow…" Toadsworth breathed in, breathed out, and played reasonably well. Although his sound died down near the end, it was enough to get the snakes to come out.

"Great job, Worthsy! You made them come dance!" Zess giggled.

"Oh no…" Waitress murmured. "One from each of them has already done it…we need to hurry, Shimi."

"…I'm really, really sorry…these barge ships are a real problem…" Shimi answered apologetically.

A captivating line filled the air as another racer successfully made the snakes come out.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- Currently in 1st (Snake Crevasse)**

"Splendid! Yippee!" Zess applauded enthusiastically as she took the clue from the Monty Mole.

"Thank you, good lad." Toadsworth said thankfully.

"Let's see what this says…" Zess mumbled, opening the envelope. "'Route Info. Make your way by taxi to the next possible pit stop, at the base of the Pyramid of the Chains.'"

_Teams must now find a Chomp-cab and travel approximately 3 miles from both Detour locations to the next possible pit stop, located at the front entrance to this place—the Pyramid of the Chains. This unique structure, built to house a royal lineage of regal, restrained Chain Chomps, is the possible pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here may be eliminated._

"'Warning: The last team to check in may be eliminated.'" Zess concluded hurriedly.

"Hopefully, we are not included in that most dreadful statement. Come, let us locate a taxi." Toadsworth ushered.

"I think our original ones already left…oh, great. How are we supposed to get a cab from the middle of nowhere?" Zess muttered, pulling out the Chomp Whistle to call a taxi.

Shortly after the old Toads headed out to get the attention of some Chomp-cabs, Andy finally managed to calm down and play correctly.

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners- Currently in 2nd (Snake Crevasse)**

"Thanks." Andy told the Bandit hastily, opening the clue. "'Route Info. Make your way by taxi to the next possible pit stop, at the base of the Pyramid of the Chains. Warning: The last team to check in may be eliminated.'"

"Alright…I just hope that Queen and King are NOT last…" Beldam sighed.

"Look! Their whistle hailed more than just one cab! Come on!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- Currently in 3rd (Snake Crevasse)**

"That took a bit…but at least we learned how to play these gourd-shaped instruments." Waitress remarked.

"Yeah!" Shimi agreed. "Er-hem… Take your stay by taxi to the next plausible pits top at the case of the—"

"Wait, hold on!" Waitress exclaimed, interrupting her partner. "Let me just go ahead and take a lookie…"

"Oh, okay. In that case, I'll get a taxi." Shimi shrugged, and pulled out the whistle.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Park Desert)**

"They're still on our back! Speed up!" Zess urged, while doing her best to hold on.

Doing his best to comply, the Chomp driver bounded at an even faster pace than before.

"I can see some pyramids in the distance…" Toadsworth observed, pointing when the Chomp was up in the air. "I wonder which one of those is our destination?"

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners (Park Desert)**

"Do they have a speed limit in this place?" Andy asked.

"Who cares?! Speed up so we can pass them!" Beldam encouraged.

The two teammates looked hungrily at the space separating them from the Toads.

"It would be so freakin' awesome if we actually won this leg, man…" Andy laughed.

"Well, yeah. Let's make it happen!"

-----

Waiting behind the familiar pit stop mat, the orange Yoshi made several sign language gestures to the nodding host sitting beside him, a large black Chain Chomp with the traditional desert headpiece. They both looked at the entrance to the pyramid, which was staggered several feet below their current position as a result of stone stairs, still continuing their silent conversation. Then, noticing some commotion in the distance, the two looked back in the direction of an approaching dust cloud.

**Team ? (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

Haphazardly tossing change from their credit card into the payment box of the taxi, the team that had been riding scrambled to open the gate and get out. Ignorant to the fact that the other team's cab still hadn't even arrived yet, they rushed to the mat and jumped on.

"WOOF, WOOF! ARF! Welcome to Pyramid Park of the Chomp Fields! WOOF!"

"Uh…thank you."

Miles grinned as he glanced at the two racers.

"…That's really cool… Andy and Beldam. You ARE team number ONE!"

**Andy & Beldam: Mismatched Partners- 1st Place, 5:26 A.M.**

"HAHA, YEAH!"

"I told you we could do it!"

The excited pair quickly shared a sincere high-five and a brief hug before turning back to Miles to let him continue.

"I have some more genuinely good news for you two." Miles paused to lick his lips as he recalled the information he was to relay. "Okay, yeah. I got it. As the winners of this seventh leg of the race, both you AND your teammates have earned all-expense paid trips to the sun-drenched Koopa Isles. You will be able to spend time relaxing in the crystalline waters, kick back in the shade of comfortable beach houses, and explore the offerings of the several different tourist attraction islands. All four of you will get to enjoy that after the race…and in addition…once they get here, you will be put back into your original pairings."

"…Original pairings? …Oh no…" Beldam groaned.

"Needless to say, coming in first while at a relatively big disadvantage was quite…shocking. We overcame the fact that we had barely any knowledge of each other and worked together well enough to hold our own against two other teams and finish at the top. That's the kind of thing that this race just throws…you never know what can happen." Andy remarked.

"In my opinion, bonding with another racer on a more personal level did some good for my overall experience…getting away from Queen was absolutely invaluable." Beldam stated, nodding her head in large, swinging arcs. "If only I could transfer such a thing to my partner, maybe we'd be able to get along in this competition better, though…I guess I can always dream."

"This is quite an interesting turn around…" Andy remarked. "Hopefully our time can bring up our departure for the next leg."

"…That's later today…oh, great…I am SO tired…" Beldam yawned, stretching her arms.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

Noting that they'd been surpassed in the hectic race to the pit stop, the possibly dating couple took it easy in walking over to the mat.

"ARF, ARF! Welcome to Pyramid Park of the Chomp Fields! ARF, ARF!"

"Thank you, old chap." Toadsworth replied.

"Zess and Toadsworth." Miles flashed a thumbs-up. "You're team number two!"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 2nd Place, 5:27 A.M.**

"How remarkable. We've kept up the most grand consistency in remaining in front for the past two legs." Toadsworth stated.

"Of course! Hopefully we can just keep it, though." Zess remarked.

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

"Here come the train workers!" Shimi called out.

Albeit sleepy from so much activity with so little rest, the experienced Excess Express employees energetically stepped onto the mat.

"WOOF, ARF! Welcome to Pyramid Park of the Chomp Fields! WOOF, ARF!"

"Shimi and Waitress." Miles paused. "At the moment…you are team number three. But, as you know, we'll have to wait until To and Too arrive before we can determine if you are third or fourth."

"We're okay with the wait. They helped us out in the beginning of the leg, anyway." Waitress responded. "The least we could do was finish up to give them somewhat of a better start with their handicap and all."

"Yeah…how long are they waiting for departure's crater?" Shimi asked.

"Um…I think it's four hours…" Waitress replied.

-----

**(Charter Flight 2- Arriving at 5:45 A.M.)**

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Pyramid Park Airport, Taxi Terminal)**

"Looks like we won't have to use these stupid-looking whistles after all." Hamma said, placing the Chomp-shaped object in a side pocket of his backpack.

"Great…what's with all these freaks, though?" Flare muttered. "Hey, you! You know where Pyramid Park is?"

"BARK! Well, of course! Every single licensed taxi driver HAS to know where THAT place is! ARF, ARF! Hop in! WOOF!"

Shrugging, the two quickly opened the gate to the Chomp's taxi and stepped in.

**To & Too: Sisters (Pyramid Park Airport, Taxi Terminal)**

"Excuse me, but we would like to go to Pyramid Park." Too requested.

"Yeah…we need to find the castle belonging to the red Chain Chomp." To added.

"ARF! That's in Pyramid Park! Me take you fast! WOOF, ARF!"

"Cool!" exclaimed the sisters in unison as they stepped into the cab.

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Pyramid Park Airport, Taxi Terminal)**

"Oh, gosh no…the Chomp-cabs are literally driven by THOSE?! I thought they were at least shaped like them with some petty lil' driver or something…" Queen disappointedly mumbled.

"Eheh…" King stepped up to one of the Chomps. "Yo, dawg! Think you can ignite some minerals and get us to Pyramid Park?"

"WOOF, WOOF! Yeah! Some others already came by and said they wanted to go there! ARF!"

"…Other teams…I hope we're not in last." Queen said wistfully.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Pyramid Park Airport, Taxi Terminal)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…This is not working. I really, desperately wish that we were capable of English right now…)" Smorga groaned.

"…Arf? …I can't understand what these things are saying!"

After several minutes of trying to get their point across, Smorgo brought out the Route Info.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Maybe this will work. If these Chain Chomps are literate, then we are saved.)" Smorgo remarked.

"WOOF! Is this where you want to go? ARF!"

The Smorg nodded as best as they could.

"BARK! Sorry, I no know how to read! WOOF!"

If it was possible, the Smorg face fell.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Park Desert)**

"Geez! What the crap were these designers thinking without putting freakin' seatbelts in these things?!" Flare complained.

"I dunno!" Hamma replied.

Needless to say, neither of the brothers had been ready for such a dangerously dramatic ride.

**To & Too: Sisters (Park Desert)**

"This is just so crazy!" To exclaimed.

"I hope we're not too far away from the park!" Too yelled.

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Park Desert)**

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Queen shrieked. "Slow down or control this dang ride, you freaky dog!"

"We're almost there, Queenie. Don't worry 'bout a thing!" King assured.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Pyramid Park Airport, Taxi Terminal)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Finally, a somewhat intelligent driver.)" Smorga muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (We have got to make sure that this time was not wasted. He needs to hurry.)" Smorgo stated.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 4th (Pyramid Park, Entrance)**

Taking advantage of their slight lead, the two brothers quickly hurried into the park and up the stairs. In a matter of seconds, they arrived at the castle of the red Chain Chomp and stepped inside to be greeted by the group of Chain Chomps, the majority blindfolded with handkerchiefs.

"A Roadblock." Hamma announced. "'Who is the guiding force to their team's success?'"

"That's easy, man. It's totally me; I got this." Flare said, taking the folder from the Hammer Brother. "…This doesn't sound too hard…I'll be done in a snap."

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 5th (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"'Roadblock. Who is the guiding force to their team's success?'" Too asked. "I'll take care of this one."

"What do you have to do?" To inquired. Upon reading the information, she gasped. "Too, be careful! It sounds kind of dangerous!"

"Don't worry, To. I can do it!" Too said confidently.

Hamma scoffed at the Toad's statement, causing both of the sisters to give him upset looks.

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners- Currently in 6th (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"Technically, that's you." Queen pointed out. "Not that I just want to get out of it or anything…"

King chuckled. "Alright, girl…you got it."

**Flare (Pyramid Park, Roadblock Route)**

"YEOW!" Flare dug his fingers in vain onto the Chomp's surface to try and get a better grip in order to avoid being flung off. "Will you stop doing that, you little psycho?!"

"WOOF, WOOF, ARF! Who said that? You big meanie! WOOF!"

**Too (Pyramid Park, Roadblock Route)**

The green-haired girl threw another bone for the Chomp to follow. It immediately reacted, and rumbled over to the spot where the bone had landed, picking it up and eating it.

"Hehe…this is kinda fun…" Too giggled. "Well, except running into walls…but I'd never make you do that on purpose."

**King (Pyramid Park, Roadblock Route)**

"Come on, dawg…we got this in da bag!" King threw the bone.

Following the noise, the Chain Chomp barely bumped into one of the surrounding obstacles, temporarily stunning it.

"…Or not…" King murmured dizzily.

**Hamma; To; Queen (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"How is she doing this so dang fast?" Hamma demanded. "What the heck is Flare doing?!"

"Looks like he's stinky at this…even King's already passed him." To remarked.

"I'm not surprised. King K. has a lot of good stuff going for 'em." Queen said proudly.

**Too (Pyramid Park, KlapTrap Pond)**

"ARF! WOOF! I hear a sparkly! WOOF!"

"Yup…" Too giggled. "We need to deliver this Star to the Sphinx, remember? Let's see…which way…"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in Last (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

Ignored by the other teams, the Smorg bounded over to the clue box and somehow pulled out an envelope. The red Chain Chomp stared at the miniscule racers.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We have a Roadblock to deal with. 'Who is the guiding force to their team's success?')" Smorga read.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We need to keep the counts as equal as possible. Complete this task as fast as you can.)" Smorgo commanded.

Complying, Smorga hopped aboard one of the blindfolded Chain Chomps, and somehow threw one of the bones. The three racers waiting for their teammates leapt out of the way to avoid the romping Chomp.

"At least we know we're all safe at the end of this leg." Hamma smirked.

**King (Pyramid Park, KlapTrap Pond)**

"Awesome sparkles…" King murmured, taking a Star from the pool. He climbed back on top of his Chain Chomp.

"WOOF! WOOF! Are we there yet? ARF!"

"Almost, dawg…just gotta make one more stop and we'll be over."

**Flare (Pyramid Park, KlapTrap Pond)**

"Dangit, hurry up!" Flare yelled, bashing his Chain Chomp over the head with the bone. Obviously, the Chomp couldn't feel it.

"BARK! That tickles! ARF, WOOF!"

**Smorga (Pyramid Park, KlapTrap Pond)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (It really is somewhat saddening that this Roadblock is not all too challenging…but then again, it is a relief that I am not encountering any troubles…)" Smorga mused.

"WOOF, WOOF! I don't understand what's going on! ARF!"

**Too (Pyramid Park, Bowser Sphinx)**

The Traveling Sister hopped off of her Chain Chomp and stepped over to the treasure chest in front of the Bowser Sphinx. She opened it and placed in the Star.

"Very good, you green-haired female…you have earned your information…" The Sphinx bellowed.

Too put her finger in her ear. "Ooh…ow."

**King (Pyramid Park, Bowser Sphinx)**

"Dawg, here ya go." King said, putting the Star into the chest.

"…I am not a dog, foolish mortal… Your language style is detestable…" The Sphinx complained.

"…Like I care what you think." King laughed.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4th (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"Alright!" To cheered as her sister came panting up the stairs.

As the sisters headed down towards the park exit, To pulled out the Chomp whistle to hail a cab, and Too opened the envelope.

"'Detour. Golden Brick Arm or Serpentine Charm. How would you have made money back in the pyramid-building days?'" Too read. "This sounds really cool…I want to charm the snake, though. It doesn't sound too hard."

"Yeah…playing an instrument should be fun." To agreed, pocketing the whistle.

Within seconds, several Chomps came hustling towards the park.

**Smorga (Pyramid Park, Bowser Sphinx)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This was quite an interesting, unexpected task… Hmm…I wonder…do you understand what I am saying?)" Smorga questioned.

"You fool… I am fluent in everything… So, I can understand you… Is that unusual?" The Bowser Sphinx boomed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quite. …Um…I thank you for the clue, I suppose…)" Smorga muttered, carrying the envelope off. "SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (What a freak…only weirdos can understand us, I am sure…)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Needless to say, I was completely caught off-guard by the fact that someone, for once, actually was able to understand what I was saying. Seriously…it is not every day that you meet someone that can take our language and decipher it…)" Smorga remarked.

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners- Currently in 5th (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"Yes!" Queen clapped as her partner came running up.

"C'mon, Queenie! We got this!" King exclaimed, ripping open the envelope. "'Detour. Serpentine Charm or Golden Brick Arm. How would you have made money back in the pyramid-building days?'"

"…Oh, gosh…they both require me to do something…" Queen joked, causing King to laugh as he blew the whistle. "I guess charming a snake with my charmingly good looks will be a lot easier…"

"It's with an instrument, yo." King corrected.

**Flare (Pyramid Park, Bowser Sphinx)**

"Crap…" Flare slammed the Star into the chest angrily. "Hurry it up with the envelope, you oversized cat!"

"SILENCE!" commanded the Sphinx. "Your impatience will be your undoing, you fool… Here…"

Snatching the envelope out of the air, Flare ran like a madman up the stairs back up towards the castle.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 6th (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"Dangit, Flare! Hurry it up!" Hamma yelled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quite a decent job you performed…you even managed to pass the Fire Brother to the Sphinx.)" Smorgo congratulated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Right. We have a Detour now. The choice is between Golden Brick Arm and Serpentine Charm.)" Smorga informed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Oh, great…)" Smorgo muttered.

The Chain Chomp looked down at the two Smorg, panting and drooling.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (…What should we do?)" Smorga inquired worriedly.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Pyramid Park, Red Chomp House)**

"Geez, Flare! That was friggin' awful! We're in flat-out last!" Hamma berated.

"Oh, just shut up!" Flare growled, smacking Hamma across the face. "It's a Detour. We're doing this Golden Brick Arm thing."

"Golden Brick Arm? Well, that's what's about to slam into your nose, bro." Hamma muttered.

"Get a taxi instead of making idle threats, you idiot!" Flare commanded.

"Huh, I don't know who here's the idiot…but it's not me!" Hamma retorted, blowing the whistle.

"Really?! Well, I see only one person it could be!"

As they boarded the taxi, the sparks flaring between the brothers only seemed to intensify; they turned away from each other angrily.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Snake Crevasse)**

"Hi…we're here to learn how to charm a little snake." Too said matter-of-factly.

The turban-wearing Toad nodded, and handed the sisters their pungis.

"Oh, this is cool…" To giggled. "I hope we can learn fast, though…"

"It's a relatively simple task to learn, don't worry." The instructor assured. "First, you're going to have to hold it to your mouth like this, with your fingers positioned here…"

-----

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Park Desert)**

"I don't understand this…how the heck can we be lost?!" Queen cried. "This is ridiculous! You're getting half-payment!"

"WOOF, ARF ARF ARF! I apologize, but I accept your offer! I will find directions quickly! WOOF, WOOF WOOF, WOOF!"

"Coulda sworn I saw some blackies goin' that way…" King murmured.

"Please hurry…we're in a REALLY big hurry to get to the…eww…Snake Crevasse…" Queen made a face.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Snake Crevasse)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This might be a little difficult to do, considering our inability to communicate with our instructor…)" Smorga murmured.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (You would rather try and waste our energy by using a rope pulley? I would not…)" Smorgo responded.

"…Um…yeah…"

The Goomba laughed nervously.

"Well, at least I'm teaching some no-handers…that makes it a bit easier…now if I can only understand what they're saying…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I hate it when discriminating officials are deemed as the ones we obtain…)" Smorga sighed.

"Very nice sounds, girls." The Toad informed. "Okay…the next note is a bit higher than that one, so you'll need to focus your mouth for it."

"Alright…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Golden Peaks)**

Quickly jumping out of their cab, the brothers silently dropped some change into the payment box and rushed over to the golden pyramids, immediately spotting the set of wheels, ropes, and the large arm fashioned out of gold.

"This doesn't look too hard…" Hamma muttered, picking up the blueprints. "We just need to lace the rope around these wheels and stuff…"

"Whatever…hey, look. They already tied the knot around the arm for us…that's good." Flare commented.

Setting to work arranging the ropes around the wheels, the brothers continued their streak of speaking about only important things.

-----

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Snake Crevasse)**

"Great…they're already here…" Queen muttered. "…We must've beaten those Ham-brothers, though…"

"Nah…they pro'bly went on the weightliftin'." King corrected. "Knowin' them, that's somethin' they'd do."

The teammates strode up to a tent, and a Boomerang Brother came out.

"So…guessing you're here for the snake charming, right?"

"Yep."

"'Kay, then…let's get you set up…" The Boomerang Bro handed the two a pair of pungis, and started with showing them the correct way to hold one.

"You're almost there…just keep your air flowing, and don't clamp up your mouth too much," advised the Toad.

"Okay…um…" To breathed in and blew into her been, producing a more confident note than the one she'd made before.

"Good. Okay. There are only two more notes used in the line that are lower than the starting note…this is how you finger…"

"Alright…wow…for weird-looking thingamabobs, you two aren't doing half-bad…" the Goomba stated, grinning sheepishly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Right…)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This guy is seriously wasting our time. We already understand the basic methods of blowing air into the horn to produce noise and how to make the pitch go up or down…why must we go through all this? Deem us prepared already!)" Smorgo demanded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Affirmative. We might as well just play the tune on the sheet music in front of us…I will go first.)" Smorga declared.

Without warning, Smorga started playing the charm line, startling the Goomba.

"Hey, hold on a…whoa. …These newbies just got here and they're already getting the snakes to…what the heck?"

Smorgo quietly snickered as the turban-wearer stared, dumbfounded, at the sight of the snakes swaying back and forth while sticking their tongues out.

"…I need a vacation."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Golden Peaks)**

"That rope goes over here, dude. And make sure they're tight!"

"You know, yours aren't all that taut, either."

Still somewhat seething, it seemed like the two brothers were doing everything in their power to keep from engaging in another dust cloud brawl.

"How many more dang wheels do we have to attach?" Flare grumbled.

"Not very many. Once we get done with these two, we can start pulling." Hamma stated.

-----

**To & Too; Smorgo & Smorga; King & Queen (Snake Crevasse)**

"Who is playing already…there's no way someone else could've already gone through all the lessons before us…" Too murmured in confusion.

"I have no idea who it could be." To answered, straining her neck to try and find the source of the music. "But it sounds correct…"

"Oh, great…someone is already done!" Queen lamented.

"Cool it; we can catch up. There's always a chance." King assured.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- Currently in 4th (Snake Crevasse)**

"I still don't understand how…they don't have…"

Shaking his head, the turban-wearing Goomba gave up as he headed back into his tent. The Smorg made a sneering action as they opened the clue.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (The pit stop. Good…we need to grab a taxi to take us to the Pyramid of the Chains.)" Smorgo informed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Alright. Get out the whistle, and we can leave once a Chomp-cab arrives.)" Smorga directed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, you make sure and show the driver the Route Info so we will not waste time trying to ineffectively communicate with a meathead.)"

**To & Too; King & Queen (Snake Crevasse)**

"Wait…how'd they finish?" King questioned. "That's seriously messed up, dude…"

"Tch. More than messed up." Queen remarked, breathing in and blowing into her pungi.

"The Smorg finished? That's kind of odd…" Too muttered. "Oh well. We don't really have to worry."

"Hopefully we won't." To agreed.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Golden Peaks)**

"Alright! Get at the end!"

Having finished putting all the ropes around the appropriate holders, the Hammer and Fire Brothers ran to the end of the rope.

"On three, we pull." Flare instructed. "One…two…"

-----

**To & Too; King & Queen (Snake Crevasse)**

"Yes!"  
An excited Too celebrated as the snakes danced about from their jars.

"Pretty nice. It's your turn, now."

"Alright…" To inhaled deeply.

"I can hear the sisters…they're almost done…" Queen said dejectedly. "We're never gonna finish this in time…"

"Don't give it up, gal. Keep it on!" King encouraged.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 5th (Golden Peaks)**

Letting the rope loosen slowly, the brothers sighed with relief upon hearing the thump of the golden arm landing in the target. Witnessing the event, a Koopa came over and handed them their envelope.

"…Great…the pit stop. We better not be coming in last…" Hamma muttered, pulling out the whistle.

"Forget about when we come. The others just better not come within our penalty." Flare retorted.

"I'd like to forget that…"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 6th (Snake Crevasse)**

"Oh, thank you!"

The sisters quickly shook the Toad's hands before heading off to the entrance of the area.

"Quick, it's the pit stop!" To remarked. "Let's make some good time and get there!"

Enlightened by their instrument-playing experience, the sisters made an exaggerated breath before Too blew into the Chomp-whistle, calling for a Chomp-cab.

"Great…now we're probably in last…" Queen sighed.

"Focus, Queenie." King reminded. "We got this. Mebbe someone'll make a miss and we can steal out. There's still a chance."

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

After paying the Chomp for the speedy ride to the pyramid, the Smorg hopped out and rolled towards the mat. Upon reaching it, they shook the accumulated sand off.

"…ARF! Are they racers? They look like chew toys! WOOF! WOOF!"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…How many insults must one endure just to go through life?)" Smorgo muttered dryly.

"Yeah…they're racers." Miles ensured. "But it's still really odd… Um… Smorgo and Smorga… You are the fourth team to arrive. However, technically, because To and Too will be moved up near Shimi and Waitress, that would make you team number five."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Things- 5th Place, 7:33 A.M.**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Fifth…well, our cards just were not right all throughout this leg…at least we made the best of it.)" Smorga remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I guess…but our performance is slipping. We really need to step it up.)" Smorgo sighed.

-----

**King & Queen: Shadow Folk- Currently in Last (Snake Crevasse)**

"That wasn't too hard, right?" King inquired.

"No…I guess not." Queen shrugged, tearing open the envelope. "But…that thing left the most unwelcome taste in my mouth! It's absolutely foul!"

"…Heh…" King pulled out the Chomp-whistle and blew it.

"Everyone is already on the way to the pit stop…I desperately hope someone gets lost…" Queen wished, reading the information.

"Don't forget, though…" King wagged his finger, "Those switchers got a curse every single leg now. If we can cut the hour halfie, we got it made and they got the ax!"

"…Um… Word?"

-----

**Team ? (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

The desert Chain Chomp and the orange Yoshi watched quietly as two dust clouds approached from opposing directions. Within seconds, the Chomp-cabs had pulled into view, with their teams in tow, flying wildly about their wooden taxi.

"Oh, crud…" Hamma growled.

In the end, the sisters' cab arrived near the pyramid first. They deposited their fee into the change box, hurried out of their cab, and ran over to the check-in mat.

"BARK! WOOF! Welcome to Pyramid Park of the Chomp Fields! ARF! WOOF!"

"Hehe…thanks."

"Yes…thank you."

"To and Too." Miles took a Smash coin from his pocket. "You are the fifth team to arrive. But, as you know, since you chose to use the Leech Rod on Shimi and Waitress, you will be placing either one above or one below. If this coin lands on heads, you will place above. If it lands on tails, you will place after. Got it?"

"Yeah."

Miles flipped the coin into the air and caught it. The sisters watched in suspense as he smacked it onto the wrist and uncovered it.

"…It landed on heads. That means that you're team number three, and Shimi and Waitress are team number four."

**To & Too: Sisters- 3rd Place, 7:42 A.M. **

**Shimi & Waitress: Express Workers- 4th Place, 5:38 A.M.**

"Okay…that's pretty good." To remarked.

"Yeah…but I just hope that they checked at a decent time…" Too murmured.

"Uh-huh. It'd stink if we couldn't make a flight because we're leaving late in the next leg…" To pursed her lips.

As the Toads stepped off, they allowed the brothers on.

"Hamma and Flare…" Miles nodded. "You are the sixth team to arrive. However, because of the Mismatch Rod's curse effect, you will have to wait thirty minutes before I can check you in. Please wait over there, if you will…"

"I really, really, really, REALLY hope that Queen and King don't show up…" Flare muttered, putting his head in his hands.

"They better not. Seriously…that's gonna suck if they actually make it…" Hamma moaned.

-----

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Park Desert)**

"Come on…we're almost there…" King gritted his teeth. "If we can just get outta the time frame unscathed…"

The Shadow Queen crossed her fingers as she continued to watch the horizon.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

"Oh, crap…this is so nervewracking…" Hamma whispered. "PLEASE make them check in after it expires…PLEASE…"

Flare crossed his fingers as he continued to rock back and forth on the sandy ground.

-----

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners (Park Desert)**

"I see it!" King shouted. "Queenie, get ready to run! Those specks are off the mat!"

"Seoriusly?!"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

Looking to the orange host, the two sighed miserably as he shrugged apologetically, holding up his stopwatch.

"Don't look now, but here they come…" Hamma bit his lip.

"Seriously?" Flare said sarcastically.

Unfortunately for the two Big Bad Brute Bros., their previous Mismatch Rod victims arrived in their taxi before Miles said anything to them. King K. quickly shoved some cash into the box, and sprinted to catch up with Queen as she raced for the mat.

"ARF, ARF! Welcome to Pyramid Park of the Chomp Fields! WOOF!"

"Thank you."

Slightly surprised at the fact that Queen hadn't even audibly complained yet about the sand on the ground or some other kind of ridiculousness, Miles faltered and hesitated as he looked at the duo in disbelief.

"…King and Queen." The solemn look on the Yoshi's face quickly escalated into a wide smile. "You're team number six!"

**King & Queen: Mismatched Partners- 6th Place, 8:03 A.M.**

"YES! YEAH! WE'RE SAFE!" Queen shrieked joyfully, clasping King K. in a tight embrace.

"…Lay off on the sugar…" King managed, gasping for air.

Somehow, the KP Koopa managed to pry himself loose. Queen then looked over at the brothers and smiled braggingly.

"HA! Who's gonna get it, now?" Queen sassed.

Waving the two over, Miles allowed his frown to drop into an apologetic look.

"Hamma and Flare…because of the time penalty, you are the last team to arrive." Miles confirmed.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Last Place, 8:13 A.M.**

Glaring angrily at each other, the ground, and King and Queen, neither of the brothers said anything as they waited for him to continue and inevitably reveal the news.

"I'm…pleased to announce, however…" Miles paused as a gigantic sigh of relief escaped the brothers' beaks, while one of dismay rather loudly echoed from Queen. "…That this is the second of three non-elimination legs, so you two are still in the race. However, unfortunately…I'll have to take up all of your money."

Flare handed the credit card over to the Yoshi, who took it and pocketed it.

"At the beginning of the next leg, you will have to start with zero coins to your name. By that time, you will have received this back, by the way…" Miles muttered, patting the pocket holding the cash.

"…Well…"

Hamma and Flare looked at each other in a frustrated silence.

"This definitely won't be easy…" Hamma started. "…Hopefully we won't have to depend on money in the next leg…or else…we might just be done…"

"Whatever. We're not out." Flare dismissed, walking off.

"Coming in last isn't exactly a good feeling…but at least we have a second shot to stay in. Believe me, it's not going to go wasted." Hamma assured. "When everyone started preying and taking advantage of our penalty, they immediately stepped it up. We're going to have to do the same thing, stepping up our game to match everyone else."

"It's getting really irritating to keep on having things come back and bite us in the butt. Why can't we just do something and not have some after-effect bother us afterwards?" Flare voiced. "It's retarded; it's like karma knows I'm being pushed to the breaking point. I don't know about Hamma, but I'm getting freakin' sick and tired of having plans fall through like this…I'm going to make SURE that it doesn't happen again. We're staying, whether the other teams like it or not!"

As the Fire Bro heatedly marched away, the Hammer Brother glumly followed.

"They oughta be thankful they're remainin'. What's their deal, yo?" King asked to nobody in particular.

-----

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_Suffering from their four-hour hold-back, sisters To and Too run into major difficulties._

"Please let us on…we're begging you!" To pleaded.

"Really! It's mandatory we get on this flight out!" Too added.

_Several team members express their fears of attempting the thriller Roadblock._

"Will you just look at that? This cliff has got to be, like, I don't know—a thousand or something feet deep! That's what's so scary!"

"There is NO way I'm going to do that! You can't make me!"

_And while trying to capture and control wild creatures, one racer finds himself in a heap of trouble._

"Oh, gosh…hold up…stand back…"

-----

Leg 7 Trivia

- The name of the first main destination of this leg changed several times when being typed; the range of names included the Pyramid Triangle, Pyramid Prismus, and Chomp Desert.

- With the debut of the Mismatch Rod, this leg marks the second time in which a team has been moved up a departure rank as a result of time, the first being in season 1, leg 4, when Ms. Mowz and Peeka were given time credit as an apology for their life-threatening situation. Technically, it is the first movement in which the placement was not affected by time credit, as the advantage given to the store workers was. In this case, the time movement was mandatory to allow the mismatched teams to leave at the same time.

- Flight 101 on Crucial Copters plays off of the fact that the three-team alliance learned the reasons behind the airport using airplanes and mega-copters. It also references to the fact that the more innocent teams made humor and funny remarks about their competition while booking tickets.

- The marked Chain Chomp amulets idea was somewhat based on the scarab beetles, which are commonly associated with ancient Egypt, the real-world location after which the majority of the leg was based on.

- The Shroomcacari served at the eating task in Quicksand Falls is based on a real-world traditional Egyptian dish called Kushari.

- This is the first leg with two possibilities of two teams both winning the first-place prize; one of the pairs met the requirements. The first set that won the leg was Andy & Beldam and King & Queen. Because of their nature of their pair-ups, Andy & Beldam's win earned their partners the same prize. The second set that could have also possibly occurred was with Shimi & Waitress and To & Too; if the former had placed first and the latter's coin toss placed them ahead, both teams would have earned the prize, regardless of the sisters' initial placing.

- Whether out of prejudice or randomness is undecided, but Blaise took not only the money, but also the possessions of the Smorg in Leg 3. In this case, when Hamma and Flare received the reprieve, only their money was taken.

-----

Author's Note: Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the lack of detail during the "Serpentine Charm" portion of the Detour. Seriously, although snake charming really sounds cool as a task, I have little to no idea of how the pungi/been, the instrument used in the act, is used (or so I'm told that's the name).

So in other news…if that isn't the corniest, nonsense character development (or revelation) you've ever read, I don't know what is. Really, some long speech like that shouldn't exactly be in a fast-paced race fiction like this…but it certainly allows me to say that I allowed a sappy value in it. Heh…well, here's an overview. We know the truth behind Queen's unusual behavior now and have seen her new resolve…the Smorg are still brainy discs…and virtually everyone is one way or another, sided against the Ham-bros. Quite a few things coming into play that could greatly change the outcome of the next leg of the race, right? Personally, I think so.


	10. Leg 8: Kongo, Congo, KRAZY!

Author's Note: Update on 04/22/07. Prior to your reading, just letting you know that the relationship descriptions next to the remaining teams have changed, thanks to some advice from an author to an earlier chapter; just try and get over how different it is, lol… I'm warning you all right now…this is a really strange leg; the location was really difficult to place for where I'd planned it. But nevertheless, it somehow worked out…

**Review Answers:**

SSBFreak: Yes, indeedy, it seems that the freakishly unreasonable has occurred! Eheh, but that aside…you really shouldn't try to be so flattering! I envy you for the fact that you're able to make a great race WITHOUT all of this excess detail—something I'm sure would be pretty much impossible for me to accomplish since I'd probably go nuts with the lack of extra elements…

Yoshi Hoshi: I wouldn't enjoy being caught in a sandstorm, either…good thing the actual race doesn't force the racers to continue through anything like that. …Man, it's just so neat that you're able to pick apart different elements and relay how you feel about them like that back to me…predictions and facts together like that… Let's see…a Ztar is a Mario Party element that has been used, if I'm not mistaken, throughout the series. Except for one of its first usages, it basically takes away one of the player's/team's stars when it is obtained. It's like you get something really useless and shiny, but you get something important and shiny taken away. Heheh…

writingactor123: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it!

-----

Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

_Seven teams of two raced from the flat Clayouse Mesas into the sandy desert of Chomp Fields. At the airport, the two allied mismatched teams found themselves in a bind when one team would be on a flight, and the other would have to search elsewhere._

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but we have no more tickets left for the mega-copter."

_At the small town of Quicksand Falls, teams were met with an eating task that revealed who was used to spicy foods and who wasn't._

"Goodness me! I have no idea how you are able to handle such strong tastes, Zessy…" Toadsworth moaned, his eyes watering.

"Beldam, I have no idea how you're handling this so easily…" Andy stated, taking a large swig from his glass.

Seconds after receiving his plate, Flare downed every single scrap without breaking a sweat.

_While trying to reserve space for a charter, sisters To and Too squared off against brothers Hamma and Flare._

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" Too demanded.

"Seriously. We got here first for the reservations, so you shouldn't try to cut in front of us." To warned.

"These ticket agents are meant for everybody, girls. She's going to help us get on that charter right now." Hamma replied smartly.

_Throughout the leg, mismatched partners Andy and Beldam scrambled for position against the other teams. However, in the end, the surprised couple discovered they had earned a well-deserved first place finish._

The excited pair quickly shared a sincere high-five and a brief hug before turning back to Miles to let him continue.

_The teams on the second charter fought hard to gain a lead. Initially, communication troubles caused Smorgo and Smorga some problems with taxis._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…This is not working. I really, desperately wish that we were capable of English right now…)" Smorga groaned.

_In a wild race to the pit stop, To and Too edged out the brothers. Because of their Leech Rod's effect, they were placed one ranking above train workers Shimi and Waitress. Conversely, the Mismatch Rod's effect forced Hamma and Flare to wait…_

"You will have to wait thirty minutes before I can check you in."

_…And ultimately, it became their undoing._

"Hamma and Flare…because of the time penalty, you are the last team to arrive." Miles confirmed.

Glaring angrily at each other, the ground, and King and Queen, neither of the brothers said anything as they waited for him to continue and inevitably reveal the news.

"I'm…pleased to announce, however…" Miles paused as a gigantic sigh of relief escaped the brothers' beaks, while one of dismay rather loudly echoed from Queen. "…That this is the second of three non-elimination legs, so you two are still in the race."

_Through an extreme stroke of luck, the brothers managed to make it out with money being the only thing missing from their arsenal._

Andy & Beldam Charmingly Safe; Hamma & Flare Penalized, But Remaining

_Seven teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is Chomp Fields, a wild desert land overrun and completely overwhelmed in power by Chain Chomps. This vast region alone covers over two hundred square miles, and encompasses several of the world's most famous ancient pyramids, crumbling temples, and primeval ruins, all built in early days by early civilizations. Within the boundaries of this lively sand tract is this small, spread-out settlement, known as Pyramid Park, which has the majority of the famed old pyramids in its barriers. This single structure, the Pyramid of the Chains, was built to house an early lineage of regal Chomps, and was also the seventh pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The seven teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_With a newly gained outlook on the race, how will Queen make up for her past performance with her old partner? Will the scare that Hamma and Flare received from coming in last place be able to push them into a position to avoid being knocked out because of their penalty? And can To and Too recover from their bad departing time and catch up with the other teams?_

_Because of the combined arrival times of first-place Andy & Beldam and sixth-place King & Queen…_

"HAHA, YEAH!"

"I told you we could do it!"

"YES! YEAH! WE'RE SAFE!" Queen shrieked joyfully, clasping King K. in a tight embrace.

_The first team to leave will be the second place team. Zess and Toadsworth, who arrived at 5:27 A.M…_

"How remarkable. We've kept up the most grand consistency in remaining in front for the past two legs." Toadsworth stated.

_…Will depart at 5:27 P.M._

-----

Still high in the sky, the sun's rays beat down mercilessly upon the glistening tan sands of Pyramid Park. Several things in the area had reacting appearances because of the sun—the Golden Peaks reflected the glimmering rays and sparkled as if their surfaces were completely polished, the majority of the Chain Chomps working as ferries between places were mostly still energized, and the Bowser Sphinx complained to the Pyramid Park workers.

For once, the first team was departing in very good light; because of this, they didn't require any additional light on hand to read their clue. The elderly Toads stood, waiting on the mat for their departure time to arrive.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- 1****st**** to Depart, 5:27 P.M. (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

Once again, the couple was in the front position, however, this time, they hadn't placed first in the previous leg. Both team members were still holding the eliminated Team Twilight very close to their heart—they both kept insignia in the form of Zess' red bandana knotted around her wrist and Toadsworth once again wearing the lightweight green jacket. Even with these additional memoirs, the two kept a similar appearance—while Zess was wearing a white mini-skirt that seemed appropriate for the temperature, Toadsworth was wearing white shorts. They both had on purple T-shirts and brown hiking shoes fit for desert travel.

Upon being cued by his partner, Toadsworth quickly opened up the envelope and took out the Route Info inside.

"Capital!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "'Make your way by taxi to the Pyramid Park Airport and find a flight for Kong Island. Once at the airport, use the marked rovers to drive yourselves through the path of the Kongo Jungle to locate the Congo Canopy. Use a lift to ascend to the welcoming leaf, and locate your next clue at the lift drop-off. Warning: Yield ahead.'"

_Teams must now get a Chomp-cab to take them 2 miles to the Pyramid Park Airport, where they will have to find a flight that will carry them 6,217 miles to Kong Island. Once at this unique isle, teams will have to use one of these marked vehicles to drive themselves approximately 12 miles from the beachside Banana Airport through the Kongo Jungle to the edge of the large rainforest, where they will find this set of trees, among the largest in the world—the Congo Canopy. Blessed with not only its own 18-hole golf course and several lakes within its platforms and branches, this larger-than-life set of interconnected wood and leaves is well known for its healthy growth and rainy conditions. Teams will find their next clue near the depositing area of the canopy's main wooden platform._

"'Six teams have 33 Smash coins for this leg of the race, while one team has zero.'" Toadsworth concluded. "I say, that is quite a dreadful predicament the boys are in…"

"Sorta…but in my opinion, they were asking for it." Zess shrugged. "So…we're going to Kong Island, home to the infamous Kong lineage…any clues about this place, Worthsy?"

"A few…the Princess traveled there once for a golfing tournament, if I recall…" Toadsworth explained, taking his time to gather his thoughts while Zess hailed a taxi with the whistle. "I am pretty sure that the golf course was in fact, the Congo Canopy…we may have to have some tee time upon our arrival."

"Oh, that's just great…" Zess said dryly. "I've never swung a golf club in my life…"

"Living as a pseudo-recluse obviously has me unprepared for the race…that's why I'm glad to have a partner like Toadsworth." Zess commented. "He knows a lot of travelers that often explore a lot, so he often gets the knowledge, too. It's a really good thing, since we get an upper hand on everyone, but it's kinda just too bad that I don't have anything like that to offer travel wise."

"The only thing is that I'm unsure about Kong Island in general. I've heard of it, but I'm not well informed of much about it…" Toadsworth informed.

"It's alright. At least it's more than what most of the others have." Zess said, patting the Toad's back as several taxis came into view.

-----

Seeing as the desert region was somewhat barren and void of extreme activity (Chain Chomps not included), the airport had no reason to be considered bustling, busy, and full. Although quite a few flyers moved this way and that, there were lots of near-empty halls and corridors.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Pyramid Park Airport, Help Desk)**

Walking through the airport in the familiar front-place feel, the reasonably dating Toads strolled towards the information desk.

"Good afternoon, old bean." Stated Toadsworth. "Would you be so kind as to locate the fastest-arriving flight to Kong Island?"

"Kong Island?" repeated the Albatross. "Um…let's see… Alright… There's a flight that leaves here at 10:00 and arrives at Kong Island at 4:00 in the evening, local time."

"…That sounds like a really long flight…" Zess remarked. "Are you sure there isn't anything else…like one that connects through some other airport or something?"

"This is a direct flight, and the fastest one we've got. The next one leaves tomorrow, early in the morning at 3:00 and arrives there at 9."

"…Ooh…that doesn't sound good at all." Zess said. "I REALLY hope To and Too manage to make it…"

"Indeed. Er…good sir, what airline hosts that flight?" Toadsworth inquired.

"Um…if I'm not mistaken, it's Jungle-Sphere. They also have the later flight."

"Thank you very much."

After taking note of all of the helpful information they'd gathered, Zess and Toadsworth headed in the direction of the ticket-booking area.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers- 2****nd**** to Depart, 5:38 P.M. (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

For some reason or another, the Excess Express employees had opted to take their wardrobe into their own hands for the eighth leg. Shimi was wearing a baby-blue baseball cap advertising a little-league team from Poshley Heights and strangely enough, the goggles that he'd obtained from the free giveaway back at Triangular International. On the other hand, Waitress was adorned with a bracelet on each wrist, a pink shirt, and blue jeans. Her purple hair was back in its regular two ponytail format.

"Kong Island…it rings a bell…sort of." Waitress murmured, putting her hand to her chin. "Where've I heard that before?"

"Is it deep within the conned mines of your cones science?" Shimi questioned. "…Wait, I meant—"

"Um…no?"

"We've been staying near the top, so that's a really good thing…" Waitress started. "The biggest problem we're having right now, in my opinion, is probably our lack of physical strength. We have to opt out of those types of challenges in favor of ones that involve wit or intelligence. It's not that we lack that or anything, but if we were a bit more well rounded, we'd be much better off. Sadly, none of our allies have that kind of thing, either…"

"I really, really hope that To and Too can make up and catch on…" Shimi mumbled.

"…Right…" Waitress stifled a giggle as she blew the whistle to summon a cab. "Well, we should hurry and try to find a good flight…someone might try and Yield us. Either that, or we strike first."

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Pyramid Park Airport, Jungle-Sphere Counter)**

"Hello…we'd like to book two tickets for your 10:00 flight leaving for Kong Island." Zess requested.

"Tickets for two? Alright." The Goomba quickly made some typing motions, and within seconds, a pair of tickets was printing from the printer. "There you go."

(Zess & Toadsworth- 1st on Jungle-Sphere 713)

"Thank you very much, kind sir." Toadsworth bowed politely.

"That wasn't too difficult…now we just need to wait…a few hours…" Zess said flatly. "How about we go check out some literature?"

"Sounds quite dandy, my beautiful chef." Toadsworth replied, causing a flattered giggle to escape his partner's lips.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers (Pyramid Park Airport, Jungle-Sphere Counter)**

Allied forces obviously thought alike—the employees had taken the time to stop and ask at the help desk before making a beeline for the ticket-booking counters.

"We'd like two crickets for the fastest kite to Kong Island!" Shimi exclaimed.

"Erm…what he means is…we need two TICKETS for Kong Island." Waitress cut in, laughing fretfully.

"…Oh. Okay." The Goomba nodded. "Here. Be sure to arrive at the terminal early, alright? Our flights board early and leave on time."

(Shimi & Waitress- 2nd on Jungle-Sphere 713)

"Good advice…thanks." Waitress nodded. "Well…we have quite a while to wait before we can board…might as well get something to eat around here."

"Great! I'm as hungry as a corpse!"

Waitress slapped her forehead.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends / Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master- 3****rd**** & 4****th**** to Depart, 6:45 P.M. (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

As a result of their combined arrival times, the two regrouped teams had been pushed up or pulled back accordingly. Surprisingly, all four seemed to get along with a better group dynamic than they had in the previous leg—while waiting for departure, they were making jokes and poking fun that went without harsh retaliation.

Relieved to be back together, Andy and King had chosen to go with a matching article scheme—both were wearing matching black wristbands. Even more, Andy was wearing a yellow robe to match King's yellow boots and T-shirt.

Once again, Beldam was without her hat—her hair was again rolled into a small ball at the back of her head. Strangely, it appeared that Queen had lent her a silver tiara to wear that matched her own. Now without the usual large crown, Queen had chosen to tie her normally long and flowing pink hair into a somewhat controlled ponytail. Although the more eccentric aspect of her personality had been extinguished, her sense of style hadn't. Her wrists were adorned with shiny bracelets of rocks, gemstones, and beads.

"Here we go!" King exclaimed, ripping open his team's envelope.

Scanning the information, the two teams quickly thought about a plan.

"Alright…I give. I've never heard of this place." Andy announced.

"Well, isn't that a new tidbit? I thought the rumor-spreader knew everything." Queen teased.

"Seriously." Beldam agreed. "Let's play 'Stump Andy!'"

"…Let's not." Andy retorted in annoyance.

"Well, it's pretty obvious. At the end of the last leg, I was more than surprised—I was shocked—to find that King had unveiled why Queen had been acting so freakishly naïve. I mean, the world domination thing was gone after what happened and all…but the way she was just didn't seem right. I guess that once you get used to something, you can't exactly let it go very easily…" Beldam shrugged. "However, let's not say that I'm not psyched about it…we stand a better chance for sure!"

"Wasn't really no issues takin' down the cover of Queenie." King revealed. "Ain't difficult to relate to stuff you got experience with…took it and applied it with a dab, and there we got it. Glad to help with the lil' personal issues…just hope new contenders won't surpass us."

"Kong Island…well, this is something new." Beldam mused. "Let's just hope that we won't have too much trouble driving through the jungle."

"…Urgh." Queen blushed embarrassedly. "You be quiet."

"Settle it fridge-like, girls. Don't need no whisker fight." King berated.

This comment sparked another friendly argument as Andy blew the Chomp-whistle.

-----

**Andy & King / Beldam & Queen (Pyramid Park Airport, Jungle-Sphere Counter)**

"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be." Queen remarked.

(Andy & King; Beldam & Queen- 3rd & 4th on Jungle-Sphere 713)

"I wonder if the other teams that already arrived got on this flight." Andy stated.

"Well, it isn't a big airport. We can go check it out." Beldam suggested.

"But I'm hungry! We should eat dinner first!" Queen demanded.

"Whatever…" King shrugged.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- 5****th**** to Depart, 7:33 P.M. (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

Once again in their trademark appearance, the Smorg were basically in a sense, unclothed. The sun was still hanging above the horizon, leaving no need for any headlights.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This just might be our big chance to catch up to everyone. Kong Island never has very many flights, since it is more of a residential locale than a tourist attraction.)" Smorgo remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Correct. In that case, there should be a definitive flight for us to get onto.)" Smorga agreed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Well…there is no point in any explanation. Once again, I am stuck with a frightened cameraman…)" Smorga sighed disgustedly. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (As a matter of fact, he should be turning off the camera right about—)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (We should not waste any time in staying here. It is time to go to the airport. From there, we will have to figure out which flight is most desirable.)" Smorga stated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (And then, we will stowaway accordingly. Hopefully, our luck will not run out.)" Smorgo murmured.

Preparing the Route Info to show to a literate Chain Chomp, Smorgo somehow blew the whistle to get a cab.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 6****th**** to Depart, 8:13 P.M. (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

Although they'd come in last the previous leg, the brothers were departing in sixth—apparently, a plus to them. Both Koopas seemed hyped up at their second chance; in spite of their possession of no money, they were as energetic as ever. With the temperature dropping down, the brothers had snapped their helmets back on, and were wearing blue and red hoodies, respectively.

"'Six teams have 33 Smash coins for this leg of the race, while one team has zero.'" Hamma concluded.

"You got that right…" Flare remarked, tapping the credit card violently. Nothing came out.

"Well, it doesn't matter. This place sounds like it's got no civilization whatsoever." Hamma stated. "We should be fine."

"We're storming up this leg. A disadvantage means zero to us, because it's easy to overcome. What's the point in trying to hold us back, though? Honestly, we are able to catch up to everyone else and probably even win the upcoming leg. Those penalties ain't stoppin' us!" Flare yelled.

Inhaling deeply, Flare blew out all of his air into the whistle. It didn't faze either of the two when a bit of fire streamed out of the hole of the metal object.

"There better be a decent flight that's still waiting for us…" Hamma muttered.

"Tch. I bet some bozo is going to go ahead and Yield us or something…" Flare snorted.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Pyramid Park Airport, Jungle-Sphere Counter)**

"Two for the 10:00…alright," said the Goomba.

(Hamma & Flare- 5th on Jungle-Sphere 713)

"Awesome. We're on it. The other teams don't stand a chance now that we're definitely on level with them." Hamma smirked. "Looks like we'll be surging ahead soon enough."

"You got that right. We'll have to in order to avoid what's comin'." Flare commented.

"Eh, don't worry about those stupid thirty minutes. That'll be nothing when we're done with this leg." Hamma assured.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Pyramid Park Airport, Terminal Hall)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We managed to sneak by the security guards. Which terminal do we need to go to now? Can you see?)" Smorgo asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (It appears that the K3 terminal is the one we are going to. We must figure out which one it is and then sneak on through the baggage carrier…)" Smorga muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I recall the 'K' hall being this way. We must hurry.)"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Last to Depart, 9:37 P.M. (Pyramid of the Chains, Entrance)**

Despite the fact that they were leaving last and the surrounding temperature was somewhat cool, the sisters were smiling brightly. Cheerful as ever, the two had donned their respective pink and green jackets and skirts, white shirts, and tennis shoes. To had her pink locks undone so that her hair fell straight down to her neck, while Too's green hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Guess who's leaving last?" To questioned. "We are!"

"Surprisingly, yes we are." Too nodded. "We gotta make up time, though."

"Well, let's do it!"

"We formed a pseudo-alliance with Zessworth and Shim-stress in the last leg because we needed to rely on them with our Leech Rod. It wasn't just for that leg, though…we intend to finish what we start. If possible, we're going to continue working together with them for as long as we can…because quite frankly, it seems like we tie the knot that was loosened with their loss of Team Twilight. So…if that's the case, we don't want to open it back up by just deserting them." Too explained.

"I wonder what Kong Island is like…maybe it'll be like Keelhaul Key." Too remarked.

"Ooh…maybe. But I think that instead of mangoes, there are going to be bananas." To laughed.

Giggling from her sister's joke, Too fumbled for the whistle. Upon grabbing it firmly, she put it in her mouth and blew.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Pyramid Park Airport, Terminal K3 Airplane Loading Area)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Rush past…now!)"

Rolling quickly with a few bounces mixed in, the Smorg quickly sneaked by several of the Goombas that were loading luggage as they hopped into the airplane compartment designated for large baggage.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Time and time again, we are forced to do this…I wonder when we can stop.)" Smorgo sighed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I wholeheartedly agree…the suspense is actually quite surprising during those moments…)" Smorga muttered.

**To & Too: Sisters (Pyramid Park Airport, Help Desk)**

"We need to get on the fastest-arriving flight you have to Kong Island." To requested.

"The very fastest possible. Please tell us that it hasn't left yet…" Too trailed off.

"Um…Kong Island, right?" The Albatross thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure the fastest flight is on Jungle-Sphere. It leaves at 10:00. You can try to get on if you want."

"Alright! Thank you!" chimed the sisters in unison as they sprinted off.

**Zess & Toadsworth / Shimi & Waitress / Andy & King / Beldam & Queen / Hamma & Flare (Pyramid Park Airport, Terminal K3)**

One by one, the teams passed through the turnstile after showing the worker their tickets. Somehow, the brothers managed to blend in with the other teams; the formerly mismatched teams didn't seem to mind being around them.

**To & Too: Sisters (Pyramid Park Airport, Jungle-Sphere Counter)**

"Hello…we need to get on your 10:00 flight for Kong—"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we'll be able to let you on." The Goomba interrupted. "They're pretty much done boarding now, and are due for takeoff any time."

Gasping softly, To and Too looked at each other.

"Ooh…um…" To bit her lip. "Is there any way at all we can get onto it?"

"Really…uh…could you tell us when the next flight is?" Too inquired.

"Our next flight leaves at 3:00 tomorrow morning and arrives at 9:00 in the evening. Would you like me to put you on that one?"

"…This is definitely an elimination leg…there's no way we can take a risk like that, even with the Fast Forward." To murmured. "Could you call the pilot or something?"

"Sorry, but I can't do that."

"Please? We can't risk taking a later flight than this…"

"Should've arrived earlier, then."

"Wha… No, sir, you don't understand…"

"I understand perfectly, ma'am. I deal with this kind of thing all the time. Be on time, and you might make the next flight."

"Please let us on…we're begging you!" To pleaded.

"Really! It's mandatory we get on this flight out!" Too added.

"Is there no way at all we can make it on?" To asked. "We have some VERY important business at Kong Island, and we REALLY cannot miss it."

A moment of silence followed as the Goomba reluctantly took up a walkie-talkie and started speaking into it.

"I really hope there's room…" To whispered.

In response, Too took up her sister's hands in her own and held them close to her heart.

**Zess & Toadsworth / Shimi & Waitress / Andy & King / Beldam & Queen / Hamma & Flare (Pyramid Park Airport, Jungle-Sphere 713 Flight)**

"What's the hold up…" Queen asked.

"I bet those sisters are involved with it or something…please don't let them get on…" Hamma chuckled, shaking his head.

At this, virtually every other team on the plane looked at the Hammer Brother in disbelief.

"What? You can't blame us for wishing that. We got a penalty, for crying out loud!" Flare argued.

"…They just keep finding ways for us to dislike them…" Waitress sighed. "I really hope none of us have to lose to them…"

"Do not worry, my friend…we would never succumb to such uncouth youth." Toadsworth assured.

"Heck, I'll agree with you there." Andy whispered loudly.

"Same." Beldam agreed.

"Goes for me, too." Zess nodded.

"Informative!" Shimi added.

At this, virtually every other team sweatdropped.

**To & Too: Sisters (Pyramid Park Airport, Jungle-Sphere Counter)**

Waiting patiently for the news, the sisters continued hugging each other as the Goomba continued to speak in hushed whispers to what was presumably the pilot on the other side of the line.

"Oh, please let there be space…" To murmured.

"Yeah…" Too nodded, slowly running her fingers through To's hair in anticipation.

Slowly, the radio was lowered down from the Goomba's mouth.

"Alright. There's room." The Goomba nodded. "I can put you on."

(To & Too- 6th on Jungle-Sphere 713)

"YES! OH, THANK YOU!"

"YAY! WE OWE YOU!"

Laughing as the sisters both quickly gave him a peck on the cheek, the Goomba handed over two tickets. Excitedly, the Toads rushed off for the boarding platform.

"We were just, so elated to hear that we were able to make it onto the flight! All of that stress about possibly not making it…we were both very relieved to find that we still had a chance!" To exclaimed.

-----

**(Jungle-Sphere 713- Departing at 10:12 P.M.)**

Needless to say, the brothers silently expressed their discontent at seeing the sisters board, while the Toads' allies sighed in relief.

_All seven teams are traveling to Kong Island on the same plane—miasma partners Smorgo and Smorga are stowaways. This leaves regularly traveling best friends Andy and King, train workers Shimi and Waitress, former servant and master Beldam and Queen, brothers Hamma and Flare, long-distance dating Zess and Toadsworth, and sisters To and Too._

-----

Despite only being an island, and quite a large one at that, the entirety of Kong Island was very ranged in detail. While one section would be covered in the warm sands of an ocean beach, another would be entangled within a web of trees. Mountains and mines covered another area, and even several civilizations dotted the large isle.

Banana Airport sat at the edge of Big Ape City, a mixed urban and rural area with a construction site and several zeppelins flying around in the sky. Of course, none were hanging around in the flight path of incoming airplanes.

**(Jungle-Sphere 713- Arriving at 4:32 P.M.)**

The six teams that had been riding in the plane quickly unloaded and were pushed into the terminal, where they proceeded to lead or follow in the direction of the presumed exit with the marked cars. However, a certain team's strategy had for once, paid off.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Banana Airport, Main Lot)**

Rolling speedily through the dirt, the two Smorg soon arrived at the set of marked cars.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I am in complete and utter disbelief…for once, we actually are first out of the airport.)" Smorga muttered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Definitely quite a shock.)" Smorgo agreed.

Climbing into the marked car with the travel pack sticking to his/her/its body, Smorga took the backseat where he/she/it found a map, while Smorgo hopped into the front.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (We have a twelve mile drive ahead of us. Are you sure you are up to navigating?)" Smorgo asked tentatively.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, of course. What kind of inquiry is that? I am very prepared for it.)" Smorga assured.

Smorgo steered the marked rover out of the parking lot.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Banana Airport, Main Lot)**

"Looks like those stupid Smorg somehow already upped…either that or a car hi-jacker visited the airport." Hamma remarked.

"Tch. Who cares? It's not like they can do anything…they're just bouncing black soccer balls." Flare snickered.

Flare drove the car out of the lot with the Hammer Brother carefully looking over the map.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Banana Airport, Main Lot)**

"Looks as if we're not the first ones here…we gotta go." Andy stated, getting into the backseat.

"You got that right, dawg. I'm revvin' it." King gave a thumbs-up.

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master (Banana Airport, Main Lot)**

"King K. and Andy's car is just right there! Come on!" urged Beldam.

The shadow ladies quickly threw their backpacks into the rear of the car and got in.

"I'm sure we'll be much safer if I take the wheel…no offense." Beldam said hesitantly.

"Fine by me…just don't crash into a tree trunk, no-eyes." Queen replied dismissively.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too / Zess & Toadsworth (Banana Airport, Main Lot)**

"The last three marked cars…that isn't a good sign at all." Zess said worriedly.

"We can catch up! Hurry; follow us!" Too instructed.

"Right behind you." Waitress confirmed.

-----

Located at the foot of the Monkey Mountains, the vast Kongo Jungle covered quite a large portion of the island. Many varieties of trees littered the humongous area, some of moderate size, some very small, and some towering above some of the shortest mountains. One of the more standout sets of trees was located near the edge of the forest—the Congo Canopy. The interesting blanket seemed to cover a good chunk of the large woodland, and several stick-out details could easily be observed from the air—a few uncovered platforms held golfing greens, tees, ponds, bunkers, and vines. However, the majority of the area was already covered by the large blanket of branches and leaves, preventing a few of some of the other parts of the natural structure.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Congo Canopy Base)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I assume that this is the place.)"

Getting out of their marked car, Smorgo and Smorga recalled the Route Info's instructions and hopped onto one of the wooden platforms. Oddly enough, the lift was basically a vine-using pulley. Somehow, the Smorg used an unseen force to tug on one part of the vine, pulling their platform up towards the main platform, which was approximately one-hundred feet above the ground.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This is quite a barbarian type of elevator…how uncivilized. If I recall, Congo Canopy was a resort. Why must we do this work?)" Smorgo whined.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Indeed. This is very troublesome…hopefully we can reach the top before…oh, how inconvenient.)" Smorga rolled his/her/its eyes.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Congo Canopy Base)**

"Those things are already up on the lift!" cried Flare in disbelief. "What the heck?!"

"Heads up!" Hamma shouted, throwing his brother his large backpack.

Running over to one of the many unoccupied lifts, the brothers started pulling on their vine.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Congo Canopy Base)**

"We're makin' good time on those frontrunners, yo. Keep it up, man." King encouraged.

"Sure thing." Andy responded.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 1****st**** (Congo Canopy, Resort Platform)**

Reaching the top, the first-place Smorg rolled over to the front of the wooden clubhouse, where they jumped onto the Yield mat.

_This is the second of three Yields located on the race. At this point, one team can Yield another team by forcing them to stop racing for a pre-determined amount of time. However, each team can only exercise their Yielding power once during the entire race. If a team finds they've been Yielded, they must flip over this hourglass. When all the sand runs to the bottom, that team may continue on._

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, no one can understand us, but we will not be using the Yield. It is much too troublesome…)" Smorga remarked.

The duo then jumped onto the clue box and pulled out an envelope.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Hurry up and read it, comrade. The brothers are right behind us.)" Smorgo informed, looking back.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (No need to worry.)" Smorga answered, opening the envelope. "SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG ('Head inside the clubhouse and retrieve two golf club bags. Then, choose a golf cart and ride to the ninth hole. There, play the hole and finish with a par or better to receive your next clue.')"

_Teams must now choose a pair of fitting golf club sets and a customized golf cart, and drive it across the interconnected web of branches, stems, and leaves to the ninth hole of the Congo Canopy golf course. There, both team members will have to tee off and finish the 106-yard hole with a score equal to or better than par, or in other words, complete the hole in three swings or less. Once both members have managed to drop the ball into the cup within the restrictions, they will receive their next clue. However, if one team member fails to meet the requirements, he, she, or it will have to try again until they complete the task._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Golfing…that is just peachy. How are we supposed to do this?)" Smorgo sighed miserably.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, we should think up something quickly before we get surpassed.)" Smorga informed.

Noticing that another lift had pulled up to the level, the Smorg quickly headed inside the clubhouse, grabbed two perfectly-sized golf club sets, and hi-tailed it to a golf cart.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Congo Canopy, Resort Platform)**

"How'd they…oh, those things are so freaky…" Hamma groaned, watching as the Smorg's cart sped away along one of the branches.

"Since we're second, we've decided to show mercy and not Yield anyone…for now." Flare stated, pulling the number 2 sticker and their picture from the Yield mat.

"…Let's see…looks like we're golfing at one of this place's holes." Hamma informed.

"…We're…golfing? I've never golfed before…" Flare trailed off. "Well, it doesn't sound too hard…"

"Better not be. Come on."

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 3****rd**** (Congo Canopy, Resort Platform)**

"We choose not to Yield nobody." King stated, pulling the third sticker from the board. Andy pulled an envelope out of the box and read it.

The two quickly headed into the clubhouse.

"I think that when you size it, it's supposed to rest on the ground if you lay the handle against your waist…" Andy mentioned. "Or maybe it was your stomach…um…"

"It really matters, dawg? They got it sorted." King chuckled, picking up one of two bags with his and Andy's name on them.

"…Oh. Well, I feel dumb now." Andy rolled his eyes, taking up the other one.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers- Currently in 4****th**** (Congo Canopy, Resort Platform)**

"Hurry! We beat them up here!" Waitress called.

"I'm right in hind you!" Shimi informed, pulling the fourth sticker. "No Yielding for us!"

"Alright… 'Head inside the clubhouse and retrieve two golf club bags. Then, choose a golf kart and ride to the ninth hole. There, play the hole and finish with a par or better to receive your next clue.'" Waitress read. "Oh, cool! I've always wanted to golf!"

"Me, too! I've always liked hitting tea with a wooden club!" Shimi exclaimed.

A silence broken by the sounds of vines creaking and leaves rustling occurred as Waitress stared at her partner, dumbfounded.

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master- Currently in 5****th**** (Congo Canopy, Resort Platform)**

"Since when do they have vine pulleys? What kind of uncivilized place is this?!"

"Actually, they're quite common." Queen replied.

"…Shut up." Beldam commanded, pulling the fifth sticker before going to pull an envelope from the box.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Entrance)**

After a good while of driving along the tree branches, the Smorg arrived at the ninth hole of the unusual golf course. The tee was located in the midst of the hollowed-out point of a tree trunk, which had a tree branch extending out to another wooden platform with the green on it. Because of this strange layout, there was virtually no fairway, but a bit of rough surrounded the green.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This must be the place.)" Smorgo remarked.

Smorgo rolled up to the tee, took a golf ball and 1-Wood out of his/her/its bag, and swung. The ball flew through the air at a low trajectory, bounced on the green, and rolled…INTO THE HOLE.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I am guessing that you just applied the laws of physics, gravity, velocity, and acceleration to make that shot.)" Smorga stated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Why of course. What else would I have used? Even you can perform this simple swing, I am sure…)" Smorgo grinned.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 6****th**** (Congo Canopy, Resort Platform)**

After pulling the sixth sticker without Yielding anyone and taking an envelope, the two girls headed into the clubhouse.

"This is so neat! They even monogrammed the clubs with our heads on the handle!" To giggled. "How cute!"

"Yeah, I know!" Too said, snapping a picture of the two golf bags.

Hurrying past the clue box, the two Toads carried their bags to one of the two remaining golf carts and hopped in.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in Last (Congo Canopy, Resort Platform)**

"Darn…we're the last ones here! Means we obviously can't Yield anyone…" Zess quickly tore open the clue. "…Golfing! Oh, that's good. We've both done that before—maybe we can scurry out of last!"

"Indeed, Zessy! A splendid plan!" Toadsworth congratulated, hurrying alongside Zess into the clubhouse.

"We've both golfed before. During the times that we were able to somehow get together, golfing was one of the top leisure activities on our list of ways to spend time together. It was a really good thing that could help us, too." Zess remarked.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"You have GOT to be kidding me." Hamma moaned, staring over at the green on the opposite platform.

"Probably just a fluke…they're confused." Flare commented. "Maybe we can bonk one of 'em on the head with a golf ball."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 1****st**** (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

Flare's first shot failed its mission in bonking one of the Smorg on the head; instead, it flew to the left of the platform, prompting an agitated yell from the Fire Brother that caused the Smorg to laugh.

"…Well…I've never seen such prodigies before…that's…quite amazing," said the Lakitu. "I guess you get this, then."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quite a simple task, my good fellow. You simply apply a strong tailspin to the—)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Forget it. Remember, he cannot understand us because we have supposedly evolved superior of his flying species…how, I do not know.)" Smorgo muttered.

"…Wha…" the Lakitu stared at the two confusedly for a moment, scratched his head, and then floated away to watch over the other team.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Let us see what we are to do now… 'Detour. "Snap" or "Scope." What kind of handling are you good at?')" Smorga read.

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have a choice between two tasks related to jobs creatures living on Kong Island are accustomed to in gaming activities. The choice? "Snap" or "Scope."_

_In "Snap," teams will have to travel through the Kongo Jungle 3 miles to this fast-running river in the Jungle Japes. They will then have to steer a wooden raft downriver to this marked location. Using the provided nets, ropes, tape, and clamps, teams will have to cooperate in order to successfully capture and bind three Klaptraps, lizard-like, large-mouthed creatures capable of biting down on many things and never letting go. Once teams have correctly restrained a total of three Klaptraps, they will receive their next clue._

_In "Scope," teams will have to travel to the edge of the Kongo Jungle and up this marked trail to this small ledge of the Monkey Mountains, 7 miles away. They will then have to search the surrounding forest area with binoculars for a flag, hanging from the gates of a certain location—Jungle Hijinks, the area holding Donkey Kong's house. Upon reaching this forested area, teams will have to search the Banana Hoard for their next clue, hidden amongst the bunches and bunches of recovered bananas piled inside the cave. To do so, they will be provided with one of these mechanical tracking devices, which will respond upon picking up the signal of a small tracker inside of an envelope._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Most troubling. We have no choice but to choose 'Scope' because of our inability to capture creatures somewhat bigger than us.)" Smorgo lamented.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quite correct. Hopefully, the lengthier distance shall not stop us from maintaining our decent lead.)" Smorga remarked.

Hopping back into their golf cart, the Smorg started their trip back to the clubhouse by going around in the direction of the tenth hole.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Entrance)**

"Look, dawg. Those bros got here 'fore us." King stated, grabbing his bag out of the back of the vehicle.

"Well, that doesn't matter. We can probably beat them." Andy shrugged.

King K. placed a tee down on the box, and a golf ball on top of it. Putting himself into a standing position, he swung in one of the most incorrect ways a golfer could, sending the ball short—it bounced off of the branch and into the dizzying depths of the canopy.

"Crap. Think we got a fly-gone." King said sheepishly, scratching his head.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"Will you come on?" Flare asked heatedly.

"Hey! At least I made it onto the whatcha-ma-call-it, unlike you." Hamma retorted. "Besides…if I can get this putt, I'll just have to wait for you."

"Tch. Yeah, right."

Taking his time looking for the perfect angle to his "putt" from the rough, Hamma drew back and putted with the putter, but didn't even manage to bump the ball out of the tall grass.

"DANG!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Entrance)**

"Oh, grape…this race is going to get really crowd together fast…" Shimi murmured.

"Yeah…if we can't finish this hole, we'll be stuck taking turns with the other teams." Waitress agreed. "…Where are the Smorg?"

"Probably lost in space or something…" Shimi shrugged.

Getting out of their golf cart, the duo hustled over to the tee and claimed spots before the brothers could return. Shimi went first, but even the club's modifying didn't seem to help his first shot; the ball flew off at an awkward angle a few feet, and fell into the space around the course.

"Um…your turn." Shimi smiled embarrassedly.

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Entrance)**

"This doesn't look good…they're starting to form a line." Beldam mumbled.

"UGH! I hate lines." Queen groaned. "Back in the day, I didn't have to wait in no dumb line…"

Beldam pulled her golf bag out from the cart. "Guess what? You do now. Besides, you've been waiting in lines for like, the whole race."

Not bothering to give some smart answer, Queen simply shuffled over to the line of anxious racers with Beldam in tow, just as Flare totally scrambled another shot.

**To & Too: Sisters (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Entrance)**

"Wow…it doesn't look like anyone has made it onto the green yet…" Too murmured. "You think this might be a bit hard?"

"They probably haven't golfed before." To replied. "Remember, we've golfed a little bit…"

"Yeah, but we're going to have to leave the others behind if we finish first…and I really do not want to do that…" Too admitted guiltily.

"You're right…but they understand that this is a race, though." To stated, pulling the cart to a stop.

After pulling their bags from the cart, the sisters quickly rushed over to grab a spot in line.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"Well, everyone beat us here…oh well." Zess bit her lip. "I really hope I remember how to do this."

"It could be quite daunting, I'm afraid." Toadsworth muttered, stepping into the back of the line. "Whenever we miss, we must wait for everyone else to take a turn before we can attempt again."

"Right…" Zess sighed. "We'll just have to try and make perfect hits onto the green, then…"

The group of racers watched as Bandy Andy attempted a tee-off. Although he had a better stance than his partner, his bad swinging style resulted in the ball flying off to the right.

"…This is going to take forever…" Andy moaned.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Congo Canopy, Resort Clubhouse)**

After making it back to the main platform, Smorga parked the golf cart near the clubhouse. They rolled in with their bags, deposited them near the entrance, and headed in the direction of the wooden slide.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I suppose the method we used to get up here will not be the same to get out. This actually looks quite amusing.)" Smorgo mused.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Right…well, shall we? After all, we are not getting any younger. The others should catch up in about…a few hours.)" Smorga said cheerfully.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Yes, of course…I must argue with the task detail, though. They should have made it a game of near-pin…actually playing the hole might be a bit much.)" Smorgo ridiculed.

Positioning themselves at the top of the large, winding wooden slide that spiraled and curved in several directions around the lifts and the base of the main tree, the Smorg pushed off.

"SMORGSMORG (Wheee.)"

Within a good fifteen seconds, the discs were off the speedy slide and en route to their marked car.

**Hamma & Flare / Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen / To & Too / Zess & Toadsworth (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

An eleven-person line had developed as Toadsworth took his first swing for the green. Unfortunately, his former experience didn't seem to kick in—the ball flew a bit short of the platform.

"That isn't very sporting…you give it a go, Zessy." Toadsworth shook his head, leaving the box open for his partner.

Zess attempted a swing, and ended up making it barely on the rough on the outer part of the platform.

"Oh, cool! I might have a chance!" Zess shouted, grabbing her bag and jogging down the trunk steps to the wooden branch that led over to the green.

"I guess that it's my turn." Waitress remarked, placing a ball on the used tee. She swung, but the ball fell short and curved quite a bit to the right.

Shimi whiffed the ball, and ended up forfeiting his turn. To barely missed making the platform. Too ended up making the ball fly a bit to the left of the wood.

"I don't know if this will go in…" Zess murmured, putting the approach she had made. Due to her distance from the cup, the ball rolled heavily in another direction. "…Didn't think so."

Hamma over swung, sending the ball hurtling past where it needed to be. Flare swung, and threw his golf club, but it was retrieved by the Lakitu. King somehow made it onto the green, but his approach accidentally sent the ball off the platform. Andy missed the stage by a few feet. Beldam's ball flew to the right of the platform. Queen nearly whacked someone in the face because of her unusual hands. Toadsworth made it to the rough, but missed the cup. Zess made it to the green, but failed to make both putts. Waitress missed. Shimi missed. To missed. Too's ball bounced off of the spiky wood that pinned the platform down and fell. Hamma completely missed. Flare threw his club again (out of anger, this time). King missed. Andy missed. Beldam missed. Queen purposely threw her club at Flare for a rude comment.

-----

Quite a few trees covered the surface of the Monkey Mountains landform closest to the Kongo Jungle; they seemed almost as big as some of the ones that existed down in the forest. Above the tree line, the mountain was basically rock, dust, and gravel, except from a small tidbit of snow at the very top that was shared by most of the other nearby mountains.

The first marked car arrived at the circular dirt lot at the entrance to the hiking trail up the mountain.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Base)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We have arrived at the destination.)" announced Smorgo, bouncing out of the car.

Disembarking from their marked vehicle, the Smorg started up the marked trail to the presumably marked ledge.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (If I knew any better, I would assume that we have quite the healthy lead and a leg-up on our competition.)" Smorga remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (That is, if we had walking appendages…which we do not.)" Smorgo reminded.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"Darn…" sighed Zess. "I missed it by just like, a millionth of an inch or something!"

"We just have to keep our persistence at this." Toadsworth comforted.

"Right…well, we're doing a better job than some of the others."

**Hamma & Flare / Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen / To & Too (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"AAAARGH! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!"

Flare heatedly blew a small bit of fire at his golf club, which was fortunately, fireproof.

"…Stupid manufacturers!" Flare bellowed.

"I think we need to get some counseling on anger management issues, dawg…" King whispered to Andy, who laughed.

"Just like, one after another, one ball was hit off, then another, and another. No one was having any luck in making it. It was just so hard to play an actual golf hole with no experience beforehand…" Waitress said.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Ledge)**

Shortly after reaching the marked ledge, the Smorg picked up two binoculars and started searching for what was supposedly a hard-to-spot flag amongst the brush.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We should spot the flag in less time than a minute if we search efficiently. It is impossible to succumb to such an easy task.)" Smorga stated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How true. However, your prediction is off—we should spot it in approximately forty-five seconds.)" Smorgo corrected.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"No beans…" Too said disappointedly as her ball rolled past the hole. "This is REALLY tough…I wonder how long we'll be here."

"Hopefully we can get out of here soon. I think we're getting the hang of it." To said optimistically.

"Yeah…consistent tee offs…it's a start." Too agreed, nodding and smiling.

**Hamma & Flare / Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen / Zess & Toadsworth (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"The pressure is just so unnerving…it keeps making me miss that platform!" Beldam cried in disgust. "How ridiculous is this…playing golf…urgh…"

"Count your blessings. Back then, clubs like this were pure wood, not just called wood." Queen berated.

"Hah! What a loser!" Flare jeered, prompting Queen to throw her golf club at him again.

"EEP!" shrieked Waitress. "Will you watch it?"

"Yeah! Throwing things isn't very good dice!" Shimi backed.

"You really are going to hit someone, old chap." Toadsworth chided.

"It's his fault." Queen simply replied, tossing her hair back as she headed to the end of the line.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Ledge)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I told you. Forty-five seconds, and there it was, as plain as the sunlight of a day free of precipitation formation.)" Smorgo said in a I-told-you-so tone.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Whatever you wish. I say that the forty-six second mark makes me blatantly correct.)" Smorga sniffed.

With the location of the spotted flag in mind, the Smorg rushed back down the marked trail.

-----

**Hamma & Flare / Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen / To & Too (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"Finally…" Andy muttered, watching as his ball bounced and landed on the platform.

"Much luck, man!" King called as his partner grabbed the bag and headed towards the green.

"This is really stressful…who knows who could finish first?" Beldam murmured.

"It'll be me…" Hamma muttered to himself.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"Not again!" Zess shook her head, aggravated. "I keep on missing that stupid hole! I swear, it's moving or something!"

Toadsworth chuckled. "I doubt that, highly…"

Taking his time to line up his shot, the retainer brought his putter back and smoothly followed through. The impact rolled the ball…into the cup.

"Oh, how splendid! The initial finisher of the regular racers." Toadsworth bowed as an excited Zess clapped.

"Great! …Now only I have to do that…" Zess trailed off, rolling her eyes.

**Hamma & Flare / King / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"Tch. I guess it's true what they say about old people and boring sports like golf…" Hamma scoffed.

"You're so unappreciative." Waitress remarked distastefully. "He actually made a birdie…better than what you've done so far."

"HAH! That's a laugh!" Flare interrupted. "Least he's made it onto the green!"

"I guess, yo…but still, he's overpowerin' everything." King mumbled lazily.

"…What'd you say?!" Hamma asked crossly. "I'll show you, you…you…OOH, I HATE FAMILY-RATED SHOWS!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Kongo Jungle, Dirt Road)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (By my calculations, the flag should not be too far from our current location…)" Smorga informed.

"SMORGSMORG (Good. Once we enter the cavern, we will have to search like crazy to locate a clue amongst the fruits of the earth.)" Smorgo recalled.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"YEEAH!" To jumped for joy as she watched her ball drop into the hole.

"Great job, sis!" Too congratulated. "Now it's just me…"

**Hamma & Flare / Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen / Zess & Toadsworth (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"Another person has got it in…" Andy groaned. "Hopefully it'll take a while for everyone else to get the hang of this…"

"Wistful thinkin'…" King replied.

"You can do it, Zessy!" Toadsworth encouraged, watching as Zess teed off. Unfortunately, the ball flew off course and out of bounds. "Maybe next time…"

"This is getting really nerve-racking…" Waitress sighed.

"How annoying. Games were never this weird back in the day." Queen murmured.

"She sounds like an old geezer…" Flare whispered.

Everyone jumped out of the way as the Shadow Queen's golf club once again missed its intended target.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

After reaching the clearing with Donkey Kong's house and the marked flag, it didn't take long for the Smorg to get out from their vehicle and head into the cavern, which was chock full of bananas.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Hopefully this taxing obstacle will not obscure our progress by taking up precious time. Yellow bananas are similarly colored to yellow clue envelopes.)" Smorgo remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (No worries, colleague. All we must do is simply apply the laws of search-and-rescue, using this technologically-advanced tracking equipment.)" Smorga assured, picking up one of the scanners.

-----

**Waitress (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"Oh, darn…" Waitress shook her head as she watched the third hit roll right by the cup.

**Zess (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"I'm sorry, Worthsy!" Zess called, picking up her missed ball.

**Hamma & Flare / Andy & King / Shimi / Beldam & Queen / To & Too / Toadsworth (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"Shadowsnaps!" Beldam growled, making what could be perceived as a stomping motion as she headed to the end of the line.

"When is this torture gonna end?" Hamma asked out loud to nobody in particular. Of course, nobody responded.

"Come on, Too…you can do this." To supported as her sister walked up to the tee.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 1****st**** (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I have obtained one.)" announced Smorga, emerging from the large pile of yellow fruit.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Very nicely done, I must say. Quick, we must read it. Maybe we can place first today.)" Smorgo ushered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Yes, of course. 'Make your way through the Kongo Jungle to DK Mountain, and locate the wooden rope bridge, where you will find your next clue.')"

_Teams must now drive themselves approximately 6 miles from both Detour points through the Kongo Jungle to this lone mass in the middle of the jungle, DK Mountain. This hot, active volcano, and its surrounding forest area are ironically considered more treacherous than some of the other landforms in the Monkey Mountains range, due to their natural pollution, rolling boulders, and numerous pitfalls and crevasses. Teams will have to locate the wooden rope bridge that hangs above a deep gorge, where a river runs. Unsteadily hanging over the canyon, this link connects the DK Mountain forest with a small rock cove that contains the Donkey Cannon, an over juiced barrel shooter that has capabilities of sending large objects as far as its neighboring volcano. Here, close to this rickety structure, teams will find their next clue._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (DK Mountain. I have heard about that area before, have I not? If memory recalls, it doubled as a racecourse in the Double Dash Grand Prix…)" Smorgo mused.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Your memory serves correctly. We must make haste; I sense the Roadblock coming up.)" Smorga informed.

Rolling to their marked car, the Smorg jumped in and drove away from the treehouse.

-----

**Hamma & Flare / Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen / To & Too / Zess & Toadsworth (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

By this point, many of the team members are pessimistic and tired of repeatedly missing the platform or the hole. While To and Toadsworth patiently wait for their partners, it is clear that several teams are losing their cool.

"This is so impossible! Why do we have to go through something stupid like this?!" Queen complained.

"Queen, will you calm down? Maybe if you would concentrate, we could get out of here!" Beldam pointed out.

"I am concentrating, you old crone!" Queen retorted.

"GRAH!" Hamma kicked at the grass as he missed once again.

"Hey…" King tapped on Andy's shoulder. "…Suppose we oughta go for the Fastie?"

"…The Fast Forward?" Andy voiced. "…There's a team missing that probably went for it, though…"

"That's the Smorg, dawg. They ain't got nuthin' on us." King stated.

"…I guess so…but I hope we can still make up time."

The homeboys picked up their golf bags and headed back to their cart, much to the surprise of the other teams.

"Why didn't we look at this thing earlier, though…" Andy asked, opening the Fast Forward folder. "'Drive yourselves to Tree Top Town near the entrance of Vine Valley, and use a common forest method of transportation to reach a secluded platform at the far edge of the town.'"

_A Fast Forward is an award found on almost every leg of the race. Any team that uses a Fast Forward can skip all tasks and head directly to the pit stop, but that team will be unable to use another for the rest of the race, therefore, teams must decide when it is most advantageous to go for it. _

_In this Fast Forward, teams will have to drive 23 miles to the edge of the Monkey Mountains and locate this remarkable gorge, known as Vine Valley. Here, teams will need to enter the village built atop the forests, known as Tree Top Town. Immediately visible from the entrance is a ledge located on the opposite end of the town with the Fast Forward award; to reach it, teams will have to perform a method of transportation commonly used in the forests. By swinging and jumping from one vine to another, both team members will have to reach the small platform before they can claim the Fast Forward._

"Sounds better than stickin' around here…only problem is the distance, yo." King remarked.

"Right…it's a risk to take, though." Andy said. "We might as well go through; it might what separates us from being safe and being eliminated."

Agreeing, the two sat forward in their cart as the KP Koopa started it up and headed out towards the tenth hole to make a circle back to the clubhouse.

"Not like we were gonna be doin' real well with the golfin'…the speeder was our only option to get into safety, so we went for it." King explained. "'Sides…me and Andy were making no progress with whacking those balls over and over…"

"They're taking a real risk…maybe we should go for it." Hamma muttered.

"No way!" Flare shouted. "We aren't going to risk going up against those guys with a stupid Fast Forward! We're fine off right here!"

"You got no idea what you're talking about, bro. I said—"

"FINAL! WE'RE STAYIN'!"

Everyone gasped and stood back as a heated scuffle started up in the line between Hamma and Flare.

"…I think they lost their ice for the final time…" Shimi remarked.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Congo Canopy Base)**

After returning their golf bags and taking an amusing ride down the wooden slide, the minor league fighters got back into their marked vehicle.

"It looks like the Vine Valley is quite a ways from the Congo Canopy…" Andy informed, looking disdainfully at the map. "I really hope we aren't making the wrong decision…I mean, what if the Smorg really did go there and get it or something? You never know…"

"…The Smorg? Dawg, you gone crazy." King laughed.

-----

Occasionally, large boulders barreled down DK Mountain at astonishing speeds, bouncing off the craggy surface and crashing into metal fence structures, or colliding with mid-air. The trees hummed with the sounds of singing bugs, chirping birds, and howling winds in the somewhat high altitude.

Swaying with dangerous movements, the wooden bridge kept on moving back and forth, due to the winds moving through the area. The first team's marked car plowed through the undergrowth as it came to a stop in a nearby dirt lot.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 1****st**** (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

Hopping out of their car, the Smorg rushed through the small barrier of trees and over to the clue box, located close to the canyon edge. Somehow, the dizzying view didn't seem to faze either of them. They pulled a number from the nearby sticky board before pulling out an envelope.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG ('Roadblock. Who wants to become one with the wind?' …That has got to be the stupidest thing I have EVER heard.)" Smorga remarked.

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight on the entire race._

In this Roadblock, that team member will have to take a harrowing, but exciting, plunge down into the canyon that separates DK Mountain from the Donkey Cannon. While attached to a safe, working, bungee cord, the participant will get to experience an adrenaline-rush bungee jump down into the ravine approximately 860 feet down. Once the team member has completed the amazingly quick leap of faith, the next clue will be obtained.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Yawn. By the looks of things over there, we have a bungee jump to take care of…which one should do it?)" Smorgo questioned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (In my opinion, you are best suited. I would rather sit here and watch from the sidelines, seeing the force of gravity sweep you down to the river below.)" Smorga answered.

Making a shrugging motion, Smorgo went over to the bridge and started to head towards the center, where a Krusha bravely waited, several harnesses at his side.

"Heh…looks like we got ourselves the first team…looks sorta weird, though…" the Krusha mused to himself. "Eh, whatever…let's get you suited up."

-----

**Waitress (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"Oh, finally…" Waitress sighed in relief as she watched her ball roll into the hole. "I got it, Shimi!"

**Hamma & Flare / Shimi / Beldam & Queen / To / Zess & Toadsworth (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"That's just grape, Waitress!" Shimi called back. "…Oh, how am I supposed to repeat that…it's hard just hitting to the grebe…"

"Just relax, Zess…take your time." Toadsworth instructed.

Zess bit her lip as the ball flew to the left of the green. "Oh, sorry…"

"We're gonna be here all freakin' night…" Hamma muttered.

"WE better not be…" Queen stated.

**Too (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

Carefully lining up her putt, the green-haired Toad hit the ball. Unfortunately, she had tapped it a bit too lightly, causing it to roll back down the slope right before the hole.

"…Aw…" Too sighed.

-----

**Smorgo (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"Alright, there…" The Krusha stepped back to admire his work, tugging uncomfortably at his camouflage tank top. "Pretty sure that's how your harness is supposed to be…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, of course it is. I have no limbs, and the front of my body is obviously located here, so it would only work for me to fit in the harness in this manner.)" Smorgo berated sarcastically.

"…Um…okay, then. Right…"

Smorgo groaned as the Krusha, confused by the sounds he was hearing, laughed sheepishly.

"Well…whenever you're ready, just go ahead and jump…got the safety right here for your rebound back up," the Krusha assured.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Make your descent as speedy as possible!)" Smorga reminded.

Deciding to ignore his/her/its partner's advice, Smorgo went ahead and leapt. The wind created a strange effect, making it look like several copies of Smorgo were falling right behind him/her/it; the illusory effect was accompanied by the shifting of the Smorg's body discs, which fluttered about madly in the rushing breeze.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Uh…wheee?)" Smorgo trailed off, yawning.

Several seconds after the jump had started, gravity had pulled Smorgo to the end of the rope. Seeing this, the Krusha started manually hoisting the racer back up, somehow keeping himself from swaying the bridge, despite his burly and muscular stature.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…They call THIS a bungee jump? How…uninteresting…)" Smorga remarked dryly.

Although it took a little while, the Krusha managed to bring Smorgo back up without the Smorg falling out of the harness. He handed the thing a clue envelope produced from under his tank top.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How unhygienic. Is the envelope drenched in sweat? It seemed as if that savage Kremling was having a difficult time pulling you up from my point-of-view…)" Smorga rolled his/her/its eyes.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Actually, the envelope is quite dry. Now…where is that pit stop… 'Make your way on foot to the next possible pit stop, at the highest point of the trail of DK Mountain. Warning: The last team to check in may be eliminated.')" read Smorgo.

_Teams must now make their way on foot up the difficult forest hike to the next possible pit stop, located at the drop-off point of the DK Mountain summit, the farthest area from which the Donkey Cannon is able to shoot. This remarkable lookout point provides a fantastic view of the surrounding Kongo Jungle, and is nearly over 1,000 feet above sea level. The last team to check in here may be eliminated._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Finally…the first pit stop where we might come in first! Please, let us be first…)" Smorgo pleaded to the air.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, come on! Standing will not aid in achieving victory!)" Smorga reprimanded.

Abandoning their somewhat neatly-parked marked vehicle, the Smorg started rolling up the forest dirt path in the direction of the mountain.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Tree Top Town, Entrance)**

"This oughta be it." King remarked, parking the car.

Stepping out from their marked 4x4, the two fighters approached the entrance to the town. Virtually all of the buildings were built on top of trees; the entrance itself had also been elevated without notice, seemingly by a wooden ramp. From the wooden entrance platform, a series of vines reached down from the canopy above. Obviously, safety reasons were in play for the village; a mossy flooring covered all space not made up of the treetops.

"Looks like we need to get started…" Andy mused. "I can see the clue box right over there."

"Right…"

Grabbing onto the nearest vine, King put his weight into a swing that allowed him within reaching distance of another vine. However, the way he tried to switch late resulted in him falling onto the mossy bottom.

"…I really hope we got this better than the golfers, dawg." King murmured.

-----

**Zess (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

Observing the way the green sloped seem to help—Zess' putt finally went in, giving her a par.

"YES! OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Zess shook the Lakitu's hand vigorously before charging back up the branch with a clue envelope in hand.

**Beldam (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"The one shot I finally got onto the green, I screw up…just splendid…" Beldam groaned.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in 2****nd**** (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

Reuniting with her partner at the golf cart, Zess quickly opened the envelope while Toadsworth loaded the golf bags into the back.

"'Detour. "Snap" or "Scope." What kind of handling are you good at?'" read Zess. "…Um…okay…I'm not really sure about handling Klaptraps, but I think we can handle searching for a flag and driving to it, right?"

"Why of course!" Toadsworth replied, starting up the cart.

Once the couple had gone a ways away from the hole, Toadsworth leaned over.

"By the way, Zessy…that was some very nice golfing back there…now we are in front."

**Hamma & Flare / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen / To (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"Perfect. There's another team gone…and it's the geezers. What the heck…" Flare muttered. "Why the freak can't we get this?"

As the Fire Brother walked back and forth, absorbed in thought, Queen took another try at teeing off.

"It doesn't help very much that they've turned the little lawn lamps on—it's still hard to see in here." Queen mumbled. "Ooh, yay! I got it onto the green!"

Beldam watched as her partner rushed off with the golf bag.

**Too (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

"Awesome! I made it in!" Too exclaimed. She happily accepted the clue from the Lakitu. "Thank you, sir!"

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 3****rd**** (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

Once Too managed to get back to the tee off area, the sisters opened their clue envelope at their cart.

"It's a Detour…cool. 'Snap' or 'Scope.' 'What kind of handling are you good at?'" To read.

"Um…I think that since it's getting dark, it could be hard to find the flag, especially if it's small." Too offered. "But then again, we might have some difficulties with the Klaptraps."

"Right…so we should go ahead and stick with 'Scope,' huh…"

"Yup!"

Driving off, the sisters gave each other a congratulatory high-five.

**Hamma & Flare / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"Oh, great…this sucks. Now there's only us left…" Beldam groaned.

"Yes!" Shimi exclaimed, watching as his ball came to a stop very close to the pin.

"Good luck, Shimi! Try to make it in this time!" Waitress called.

"…Maybe we should've followed for the Fast Forward or something…it couldn't have been any harder than this…" Hamma said quietly.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Tree Top Town)**

"Oh, crud!"

Landing on his rump, Andy stared sullenly at the vines he'd slipped from.

"This is a bit harder than I would've liked it to be…swinging from vines…I feel like an untrained ape." Andy remarked dryly.

"Aw, come on, dawg. You'll get the handles and be steerin' round in no time." King assured. "It ain't far to the platform; just concentrate."

"Right…" Andy sighed, and started walking back to the starting point ladder.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (DK Mountain, Forest Trail)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Hurry up your rolling speed already! Every minute counts!)" Smorgo called back.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I am trying as hard as I can. My velocity is not what I would have expected it to be, so lay off your incessant nagging!)" Smorga shouted back.

Quickly approaching the more rocky part of the trek up the mountain, the Smorg rolled the best they could up the dirt road. Their disadvantage was becoming apparent—the slope was heavily slowing them because of their moving method.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You must really attempt to maintain a decent speed so we can achieve a good departure tomorrow morning. If we do not hurry, we will lose the last bit of precious sunlight we have.)" Smorgo scolded, coming to a stop to wait for his/her/its partner.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, I apologize, perfectionist, but a high rate of common sense does not incur a good physical health.)" Smorga replied, halting next to Smorgo.

At that moment, one of the boulders flew over the rock wall and crashed upon the ground farther up the trail. It started to roll…

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Shall we continue on? This continual bickering is getting us nowhere.)" Smorgo stated.

The stone continued to pick up speed, bouncing along dangerously…

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I guess. For one thing, our good timing will ensure a decent exit time tomorrow, so we will not have to wait for wherever we are going.)" Smorga concurred.

Almost as if it had a mind, the stone bounded over a hill and up into the air…

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Right, then…at least we can agree on one thing.)" Smorgo grinned.

It was almost upon them!

"SMORGSMORG (Look out for that insidiously, inhumanely, callously, enormous collection of grains, sand, and minerals!)" Smorga yelled.

"SMORG (…Mother?!)"

KER-SMASH!

-----

**Shimi (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"…I hate this…this is so embarrassing!" Shimi complained. "How could I have fished that cup?"

**Hamma & Flare / Waitress / Beldam & Queen (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"Better luck next time!" Waitress shouted. "Oh…I really hope he can do this…"

Beldam teed off, and managed to land her ball on the outer edge of the green, in the rough grass.

"Yes!" Beldam clenched her gloves and grabbed her bag, rushing down the tree.

"This dreary, yet festive golf course is sort of appealing…" Queen remarked, looking at the shadows flickering about because of the small lanterns.

"…Weirdo…" Flare muttered. Queen glared at him.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Congo Canopy Base)**

"It would appear that we are still the first ones back…excluding the Smorg, of whom we have no indication of where they are." Toadsworth remarked.

"I can't exactly say I like them, but I hope the dears aren't lost, wondering about or hurt or anything…" Zess mentioned. "I mean, that'd be just awful. I wonder why they joined the race in the first place…"

"So do I…" Toadsworth admitted.

Placing their backpacks into the back of their car once again, the Toads drove off.

**To & Too: Sisters (Congo Canopy Base)**

"Alright…it looks like the Monkey Mountains are in that direction." Too pointed.

"Got it." To nodded, backing the car up and turning it in the direction of a forest trail.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (DK Mountain, Forest Trail)**

After landing on the two Smorg with a sickening thud, the boulder had continued on its way, unheeded, until it barreled off the path completely. Thankfully, the Smorg appeared to somehow be all right…

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Peaches and cream are my favorite brand of lovely white swan-swimming flutes!)"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Tree Top Town)**

"Alright!" King hollered, landing neatly onto the wooden board. "All yours, man!"

Andy looked over at his partner. "Shoot…he thinks it's that easy? …Dunno if I can get this…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare / Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

For a while, virtually all of the attempted hits to the green were misses; Shimi was doing the best at being nearly on target, but almost always shot a little bit too weak; both Hamma and Flare repeatedly hit the ball too strong, sending it flying off somewhere; Beldam usually smacked the ball slightly left of the platform, and Queen's hits were almost all bad, making the ball spin in such a way as to fly backwards.

"Are we ever going to get out of here…this is so frustrating!" Queen moaned. "Is it possible to just give up and get out of here?"

"Yeah…but do we really want that penalty? If we're the only one to take it, we'll be eliminated for sure…" Beldam reminded. "We can't risk it."

"Well, we're not wasting any more time here. We're taking that penalty." Hamma announced.

"…Fine…be that way." Flare shook his head. "The minors probably already got the FF by now…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 4****th**** (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

Upon Hamma's signal, the Lakitu brought the clue envelope over to the tee box, where he handed it to the brothers.

"We don't stand a chance at this, anyways…good luck at wasting your time, folks!" Hamma remarked acerbically.

The two brothers got into their golf cart.

"'Detour. "Snap" or "Scope." What kind of handling are you good at?'" Flare read. "…We can catch Klaptraps better than we can golf. Let's go for 'Snap.'"

"I guess so." Hamma shrugged. "Well, come on. Don't just sit there; drive!"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (DK Mountain, Forest Trail)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Microbiology is my favorite afternoon snack. What's your best singer like to swim as?)" Smorgo inquired.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, mice are very scary things, you know. They talk, sing, and dance like cartoon binders and stuff!)" Smorga shrieked.

Oblivious to the occasional boulder rolling down the mountain, the Smorg continued to talk about random, useless things.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Tree Top Town)**

"Come on, you got this, yo! Swing it! Jump, man!"

As the Big Bandit made a mighty leap and just barely grabbed onto the edge of the platform, King K. hooted.

"That was some fine maneuvering! Then again, wouldn't expect anythin' less from the leader o' the Hand-it-Overs!" King exclaimed.

"Uh…thanks…now, do you mind helping me up?" Andy questioned.

After hoisting his partner onto the platform, King opened the box and retrieved the lone clue inside. He gave it to Andy, who opened it.

"'Congratulations on earning the Fast Forward, now make your way to the very top trail of DK Mountain.'"

_Having won the Fast Forward, Andy and King may now skip all tasks and proceed to the top of DK Mountain, the pit stop for this leg of the race._

While Andy chose to run on the semi-solid ground back to the entrance, King decided to swing on a few vines. Fortunately, he missed grabbing one and landed back on equal footing with his teammate.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Congo Canopy Base)**

Leaping off from the slide, the brothers quickly headed over to their car, dumped their backpacks into the rear, and jumped in.

"You better find where the Jungle Japes is, or else we'll be done for. The other teams better stay put in that golf course…should've Yielded one of 'em if I'd known we were quitting." Flare commanded, pushing on the gas pedal.

"Tch. Whatever. It's not like it's going to hurt us much. Trust me; if I know anything, we're safe." Hamma said.

"If you know 'anything?' Well, in that case, we're last." Flare snorted, prompting an angry glare from his brother.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Base)**

"This is quite an interesting landmark…" Toadsworth murmured. "Hopefully we can efficiently search out the flag from the ledge."

"Well, hopefully the ledge isn't too far up the trail…it's getting darker and darker, and I really do not want to trip." Zess stated, taking out a flashlight.

Clasping hands, the Toads started speed walking up the rocky path.

**To & Too: Sisters (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Base)**

"Looks like another team chose this Detour option." To observed, stepping out of the car.

Too peered at the picture on the windshield. "Well, at least we know it's not someone from behind; it's Zessworth."

"Maybe we can work together to complete this Detour, then…it could be slightly hard to find the flag in the dark." To suggested.

With that, the Traveling Sisters grabbed their headlights and rushed over to the trail.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress / Beldam & Queen (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"This is getting really, really irritating…why can't we get this?" Beldam asked. "Why?"

"Do you think we should just give up? Maybe if we hurry, we could…I dunno, catch up with the Ham-bros.?" Queen proposed. "I'm tired of this feeble sport, anyways…it is very poor in excitement and amusement."

"Well…I don't…" Beldam paused to contemplate her options for a moment.

"Could you hydrant up and fake your shot?" Shimi asked impatiently.

The Shadow Siren turned to Chef Shimi. "You can keep on going, fish head. We're outta here!"

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master- Currently in 6****th**** (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

Relieved to finally be getting out of the stuffy tree trunk tee box, the two shadows hurried back to their golf cart to read the clue out of earshot of the Excess Express workers.

"'Detour. "Snap" or "Scope." What kind of handling are you good at?'" Beldam read. "…I don't think we'd be able to quell a bunch of Klaptraps…we'll have to do 'Scope.'"

"Sure, whatever you say…" Queen waved dismissively. "Just get us out of here, pronto!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

"…Fish head?" Shimi repeated disbelievingly. "…Fish…head?!"

"Erm…" Waitress sucked her teeth. "Just ignore those meanies, Shimi. Keep on; we won't be outdone by them, since both they and the brothers are being penalized. There's no way we could possibly lose to them!"

"…FISH HEAD?!"

Angrily swinging his club, Shimi accidentally somehow smacked the ball so strong, but at such a weird angle, that it landed on the platform that had the green.

"…Whoa…neat trick." Waitress giggled nervously. "Just make it in this time."

Shimi blinked, almost immediately calming down. "…Oh, okay."

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth / To & Too (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Ledge)**

Collaborating by searching in different areas with the provided binoculars, the four racers quickly, but carefully, scanned the darkening horizon.

"Apparently, the clue says the flag is hanging from a gate of some sort or something…we need to search a cave in the forest." Toadsworth recalled. "But the wording is somewhat hard to comprehend—are we searching for a flag on the gate?"

"Probably…we won't know until we see it." Too shrugged. "It shouldn't take too long, but with such a small target…"

"Ooh, I see it!" To shouted excitedly.

"Really?! Where?"

"You see that one cave over there, with that unique trail and lake near it?"

"Yeah…" Zess nodded slowly.

"There are some really small gates near that cave with a flag plastered in front!" To revealed. "Come on!"

Having no choice but to trust or be left behind, the older Toads followed the younger ones as they rushed back down the trail.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

Ignoring the Roadblock clue box as they passed by, the Glitz Pit minor league fighters immediately started running up the trail to the top of the mountain.

"This seems like a long, unforgiving hike…in the dark, it sorta gives me the creeps." Andy remarked.

"Why dat? You know some creepy fable 'bout here?" King inquired.

"…Course not. I already said I don't know anything about this island except for what the plane passengers told us, and most of them were strange recluses or naïve vacationers."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (DK Mountain, Mountain Trail)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Rub-a-dub tub takes the delicious clock for a walk into the treetop beans!)" Smorgo said dreamily.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Great goober geese grapes got goodie glistening gloop!)" Smorga recited steadily.

Now, while talking, it seemed the Smorg were absentmindedly moving slowly up the mountain trail, rolling at what could be considered a strolling pace for their size.

-----

**Shimi (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Green)**

Taking his putt carefully, being careful not to swing wrongly, Shimi managed to make the ball fall into the hole.

"WHOO! I GOT THE FALL INTO THE HOLE!" Shimi exclaimed, rushing back up the branch with his caddy bag in his fin.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers- Currently in Last (Congo Canopy Golf Course, Hole 9 Tee-Box)**

By the time he got back up to the tee box, Shimi realized that his partner had already obtained the clue.

"So? What's next? We've gotta hurry to pull outta last place danger!" Shimi urged edgily.

"'Detour. "Snap" or "Scope." What kind of handling are you good at?'" Waitress read hastily. "Um…let's do 'Scope!' It sounds fast!"

Hurrying back into their golf cart, the two threw their bags into the back. Waitress allowed Shimi to complete the intended quick drive back to the clubhouse.

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master (Congo Canopy Base)**

"We're fighting to stay out of last place now! You better drive us there without any problems!" Queen said threateningly. "I don't want to go home today!"

"Don't worry; as long as you can read a freakin' map, we're fine!" Beldam said, throwing the map into Queen's face.

"Argh, fine!" Queen pulled the paper away from her head. "Take that trail, right there, and follow it!"

-----

Quite similar to the surrounding forest areas of Kongo Jungle, the Jungle Japes was covered in a mass of trees, fauna, and strange wooden structures, along with several rivers of fast-running water. Strangely, although the sun's rays hit both jungle areas, the Jungle Japes region seemed to be a bit darker and drearier than its counterpart.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Jungle Japes, Unnamed River)**

The marked vehicle of the major league fighters pulled up to a stop at the dirty lot located right next to the wooden boathouse built by the river. Leaping out with nothing but the travel pack, the brothers rushed over to the flag on a wooden post near the river.

"These should be the marked rafts we're supposed to use…" Hamma commented, turning his headlamp on. "This should be a cool boat ride."

"Yeah…really cool…" Flare trailed off. "Ya know…I've heard this river is completely INFESTED with Klaptraps…it'd be bad if someone…fell in…wouldn't it?"

Hamma rolled his eyes, and grabbed one of the provided steering poles, which seemed to be made of a really hard steel material. He stepped onto the raft, followed by Flare, who just barely got on before the push forced the raft away from shore.

-----

Because of its so-called glamorous view of the surrounding Kongo Jungle, the DK Mountain's peak had been ridded of the normal safety fences; in front of their usual place was the laid-out pit stop mat. Behind the familiar platform stood a red Yoshi, and a recognizable, muscular, red tie-wearing, gorilla. Blaise seemed to be putting up with DK's "light" snacking of bananas by the bunches for the moment, but it was obvious from his twitching that the adamant eating was clearly getting on his nerves. Nevertheless, he noted the sound of body parts scraping against the craggy mountain rocks, and smacked the primate to attention.

**Team ? (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

Struggling to make it to the pit stop mat with Smorg piggybacking on their backs for seemingly no reason, Andy and King stumbled up the last few feet separating them from the pad.

"What is their deal, dawg?" King complained, flinging Smorgo off of his shell. "You'd think they got some kinda Fuzzy genes in 'em?"

"I wouldn't be half-surprised." Andy admitted, plucking Smorga and placing him/her/it down on the ground.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Taxi go bye-bye dinosaur!)" Smorga exclaimed.

Since the Smorg made no attempt to roll onto the mat, the homeboys had no trouble in walking on.

"Eh heh…" DK quickly swallowed the banana piece he was eating. "Welcome to Kong Island, home of the Kongs, hoo-hoo!"

"Real pleasure, dawg." King responded.

"True. Real cool place you got." Andy agreed.

Blaise looked the two fighters in the eye before proceeding to speak.

"Andy and King…" Blaise paused, looking over at the Smorg with a raised eyebrow. "…You are team number one."

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 1****st**** Place, 7:58 P.M.**

The homeboys stared sullenly before the late reaction sprung forth.

"We're wha—?" King asked with mock disbelief. "No way, man!"

"Awesome!" Andy exclaimed, exchanging a high-five with his partner. "I guess the Fast Forward really paid off!"

"Apparently, it probably did." Blaise acknowledged, shrugging his shoulders. "Well…for winning this eighth leg of the race, you have both won a home gym, complete with the latest in aerobic and aerobic exercise to keep you in shape. Obviously, I think that you two would be able to do a lot of good with that."

"You bet."

Looking back at the two completely clueless Smorg, the friends looked at each other and nodded. They went over, picked them up, and dropped them onto the mat.

"…I seriously wish they had penalties or something…there's no way they should be placing this high." Blaise shook his head disapprovingly. "Why'd you have to do that…ugh. Smorgo and Smorga, you're team number two…whatever…"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- 2****nd**** Place, 7:59 P.M.**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Boom-boom marshmallow pop!)" Smorgo giggled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Groovy helicopter chicken!)" Smorga snorted.

Blaise sighed. "…How in the world did they get chosen as part of the cast?"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers (Congo Canopy Base)**

"I really hope we can catch up to the shadow girls…they didn't leave too far ahead of us, did they?" Waitress asked.

"I don't think so…even if they did, they'd probably get bossed, anyway." Shimi answered.

Taking the wheel of the car, Waitress maneuvered the vehicle out from the parking area and into the surrounding jungle.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Jungle Japes, Unnamed River Klaptrap Net)**

After steering their wooden raft down the fast-moving river for a while, the brothers arrived at a small section of the river that prevented the large object from proceeding with a wooden barricade. Directly in front of it was a large net that was partially submerged in the water; several Klaptraps moved about within its boundaries.

"I'm guessing this is the place…" Flare muttered, stepping off of the mat and onto the slippery net. "Whoa!"

"Careful…I've heard that this net is completely infested with Klaptraps…it'd be bad if someone got cornered, wouldn't it?" Hamma teased, stepping onto the net…and slipping.

Flare laughed, grabbing the equipment from the raft.

"Well…it's time to maim some tail…" Flare smirked, taking a clamp from the raft. He placed it down in the sight of the Klaptraps, which had started slowly moving over to his position.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth / To & Too (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

"I can see the flag right there!" To pointed.

"Wonderful! We made it!" Zess applauded.

Parking their respective cars outside the cavern, the two teams headed into the lantern-lit room.

"So now we have to search through these bananas for an envelope…sounds quite involving." Toadsworth murmured. "I hope that none of them are bruised, rotten, or spoiled…"

"Eww…that would soil our clothes." Too made a face, laughing.

Quickly setting to work, the foursome began moving about the bananas with their scanners in an attempt to locate a clue.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Jungle Japes, Unnamed River Klaptrap Net)**

"Oh, gosh…hold up…stand back…"

Swiping at the Klaptraps with a club, Hamma stunned one, allowing Flare to quickly wrap up its mouth and bind its legs together.

"That's two." Flare declared, placing the now-still reptile on the near shore. "Just gotta get one more…"

"Well, with these weird things clawing at me like this, we'll get it in no time." Hamma responded.

Within a few minutes of having arrived at the net, the two had succeeded in capturing three Klaptraps as their method of Hamma stunning and Flare tying worked. A nearby Lakitu, who had been supervising to ensure that they didn't get hurt, floated down and handed them their next clue.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 3****rd**** (Jungle Japes, Unnamed River Klaptrap Net)**

Taking the envelope and ripping it open, Flare read the Route Info aloud.

"'Make your way through the Kongo Jungle to DK Mountain, and locate the wooden rope bridge, where you will find your next clue.'"

"By the way, guys…" the Lakitu said. "…If you go through those trees right over there, you'll find a small cart that can take you back to the lot with your car."

"Great to hear. Thanks." Hamma said.

Upon dashing through the nearby trail, the brothers encountered a small line of small carts much like the golf carts back at the Congo Canopy. They quickly picked one and drove it down the road in the direction of the boathouse.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Base)**

"Hurry up!" called Beldam.

Whether it was because of their association with darkness or their hurry, the ladies had found it unnecessary to bring lights with them—instead, when Queen caught up, the two rushed up the trail.

"Is this really a good idea? I already wrecked my hair once, you know." Queen reminded.

"Oh, shut up! This isn't the time to care about your hair!" Beldam replied.

"Well, wait up! You're going too fast!"

"You're going too slow!"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Jungle Japes, Unnamed River)**

"Come on, we've gotta scat!" Hamma said, rushing his brother out of the cart.

"I'm goin', I'm goin'!" Flare replied irately.

Although Flare stumbled on a tree root jutting out across the trail, the brothers managed to make it back to their marked car and sped off.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4****th**** (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

"Yay! I found one!" Too called, pulling a yellow container from the fruits.

"Cool!" To clapped. "Where are we going?"

"…DK Mountain's wooden rope bridge." Too answered. "Do you want us to wait for you guys?"

"No, it's okay. We can find one and catch up to you." Zess waved.

Nodding, the female Toads headed out of the cave and back into their marked car.

"Okay…DK Mountain should be a few miles in that direction…we're going to have to backtrack this road to get to it." To instructed.

"Got it."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in 5****th**** (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

A matter of seconds after the sisters had pulled out of the area in front of the cave, Toadsworth managed to find an envelope hidden amongst the pile of bananas.

"I have found one, Zessy." Toadsworth announced.

"Good, good…hopefully we can meet up with To and Too at the bridge." Zess remarked. "We already know where we're headed, so let's go!"

"Capital!"

Moving out of the cavern, the two elderly Toads got back into their 4x4 in hopes of catching up with their allies.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Base)**

Noticing that there was already another marked car in the area, Waitress didn't bother to smoothly park the vehicle; she brought it to an abrupt stop near the entrance.

"Come on, Shimi, we can't waste any time!" Waitress urged.

"Alright, I'm scurrying to batch up to you!" Shimi replied, bounding out of the 4x4 with his headlight on.

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Ledge)**

"Keep looking, Beldam…maybe if we squint hard enough in this infernal darkness, we'll be able to see the flag." Queen encouraged.

"I don't need your instructions, girl." Beldam responded sassily. "Besides, the flag is somewhat glow-in-the-dark. It should be easy to see once you have it in your range."

"Well, I certainly don't see it." Queen said, giving a light 'hmph.'

After a few minutes of fruitless searching, the shadow folk were surprised to see the express workers catch up with them.

"Oh, great…we have company." Beldam muttered.

"Quick, Shimi! We have to find the flag so we can get out of here!" Waitress insisted.

"I'll find it in a beef jerky!" Shimi answered.

For a few moments, all that could be heard were the chirps of crickets.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 3****rd**** (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

Tearing through the jungle path, the brothers emerged at the edge of the canyon to find the clue box and the stand with the stickers, which had a small lantern sitting on top lit ablaze with fire.

"I wonder what we're doing here…" Flare murmured, pulling a sticker from the post.

"…Well, here's your clue. 'Roadblock. Who wants to become one with the wind?'" Hamma read. "So…who should do this one?"

"I dunno. I guess I will." Flare shrugged, taking the red folder. "…I get to bungee jump?! ALRIGHT!"

"What?! No fair!" Hamma bawled. "DANGIT, BRO!"

Flare teased his brother on the way to the middle, where the tank top-wearing Krusha was, but since he wasn't looking where he was going, he tripped and fell at the feet of the Kremling.

"…Dude, if that's how you plan on bungee jumping, I'd recommend taking the penalty." Krusha teased.

"Er, shut up…" Flare growled, sitting obediently as he was fitted with the harness.

-----

**Beldam & Queen / Shimi & Waitress (Unnamed Monkey Mountain Ledge)**

Almost simultaneously, Beldam and Waitress spotted the flag hidden in the jungle.

"I see it! It's over there, near that cave!" Waitress pointed, jumping up and down. "Shimi, take note of it! We need to go!"

"On my day!" Shimi affirmed.

"Don't waste your time putting those things back; come on!" Queen scolded.

"Zip it!" Beldam commanded, putting the binoculars back on the table. "Maybe if you'd help me, we wouldn't be in such a situation!"

"Whatever!" Queen responded.

In the mad rush back to the jeeps, Shimi and Waitress easily beat out Beldam and Queen, getting in and pulling out before the shadows even had a chance to so much as open their car door.

"Great! Now we're in last!" quipped Queen. "You better drive this thing ultra fast!"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4****th**** (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

The pink-haired Toad pulled the next numbered sticker from the post, while her sister took an envelope out of the clue box.

"'Roadblock. Who wants to become one with the wind?'" Too read. "Well…looks like Flare is getting ready to jump. I did that thing back at Giant Land, right? I guess it's your turn for an extreme sport, since I get to do all the fun stuff."

"Yay me." To giggled.

**Flare (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

As the sisters sat down nearby to wait, Flare got ready to leap.

"Well, if you die, remember I'll be running this race alone!" Hamma called over.

"Yeah…real great." Flare remarked sarcastically. "I'll be sure to put Bamma in my will, but not you."

"Heh, brotherly love…" Hamma sneered.

Shaking his head, the Fire Brother muttered something under his breath.

"Whenever you're ready, just go for it." The Krusha said, motioning for Flare to go ahead.

"Alright, then…" Flare responded. He inhaled and exhaled deeply before leaning over slightly in a diving position. Then, he jumped.

"And there he goes." To stated.

"OH, CRUUUUD! WOOOOOOOOOO!"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in 5****th**** (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"Oh, goodness…is that what this is for?" Zess questioned, pulling a sticker off the post and an envelope from the box.

"Yup…bungee jumping." Too nodded.

The old Toads looked at each other nervously, then back over at the bridge.

"Well…the darkness should make the leap less terrifying, I suppose…" Toadsworth mentioned.

"In that case, you can do it." Zess said, handing the Roadblock folder to him.

"…Fiddlesticks."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 3****rd**** (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

After a bit of tugging, the Krusha heaved Flare up from the jump. He pulled off the harness and produced a clue from his tank top.

"Thanks, dude!" Flare accepted the envelope and rushed over to Hamma while To strode over to get suited up.

"Come on…where are we going?" Hamma inquired.

"'Make your way on foot to the next possible pit stop, at the highest point of the trail of DK Mountain. Warning: The last team to check in may be eliminated.'" Flare read. "Alright; it's time to hike to the pit stop!"

**To (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"This feels so weird…I'm scared…" To murmured.

"You can do it, sis!" Too cheered.

"If it makes you feel better, Toadsy will be going after you!" Zess called out.

"Gee, thank you…"

To giggled. "Well…I guess if you put it that way…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

"This is the place." Waitress said, recognizing the flag. "Come on!"

Upon entering the cavern, the two train workers grabbed scanners and began searching amongst the bananas.

"I feel really fruity," remarked Shimi.

-----

**To (DK Mountain, Bungee Jump)**

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

Erratically parking the vehicle outside the cave, the shadow women hurried inside.

"Grab a scanner and get searching! We need to move it!" Beldam commanded.

"I've got one, so stop yelling!" Queen shouted.

Hurriedly skimming the surface of the yellow ocean, the four racers kept a sharp eye on their scanner screens.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 4****th**** (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"Thank you!" To took the envelope and rushed over to her sister while Toadsworth reluctantly headed across the bridge.

"We're going to the pit stop, right?" Too asked.

To looked over the Route Info. "Yeah! It's at the top of the mountain! Come on; we need to hurry!"

**Toadsworth (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"I suppose I should just get this over with…" Toadsworth sighed. "Star Haven, please help me…"

Snorting, the Krusha continued to fit the harness.

**Team ? (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

"Crap, it's so freakin' dark!"

Stumbling up the mountain trail up to the pit stop, the flashlight-less brothers hopped onto the mat.

"Welcome DK Mountain, home of the Kongs!" DK greeted. He opened another banana and started eating it.

"Sure, whatever…"

Blaise looked at the duo. "Hamma and Flare. You are the third team to arrive."

"Just get on with it and stop with the dramatics." Flare demanded.

"…Right…because of the Mismatch Rod curse, you will have to wait thirty minutes. In addition, you voluntarily chose to quit a task, so an added four hours will be given to your time penalty. Go to sleep or something, and we'll tell you if you're eliminated later or blah…" Blaise said dismissively. "Either that, or you can just hope that Beldam and Queen don't get here within half an hour. They are your main competition in terms of time."

"Tch. They won't." Hamma shrugged.

**Toadsworth (DK Mountain, Bungee Jump)**

"Oh my! I sure am glad I took off my glasses!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master- Currently in 6****th**** (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

Leaping back into their 4x4, the shadow folk opened their retrieved clue.

"Step on it, Beldam! DK Mountain!" Queen ordered. "GO!"

"I'm going already!" Beldam answered, stomping her shadow on the gas pedal. "Sheesh…"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers- Currently in Last (Jungle Hijinks, Banana Hoard)**

"I rounded one!" Shimi proclaimed. "We need to go to DJ Fountain."

"…Where's DJ Fountain?" Waitress asked confusedly. "Let me see that…it's not DJ Fountain, Shimi…it's…oh, never mind…"

Shrugging, the Cheep-Cheep obliviously followed his partner out of the hoard.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in 5****th**** (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"'Make your way on foot to the next possible pit stop, at the highest point of the trail of DK Mountain. Warning: The last team to check in may be eliminated.'" Toadsworth read. "Well, that cannot be, since Andy and King K. went for the Fast Forward and didn't return…they must have already finished the leg."

"Good reasoning…that's very true." Zess mused. "Well, we better get started…my feet will be sore in the morning from this hike…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Time Penalty Remaining- 4:05:31) (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

The brothers looked up grudgingly as approaching voices started to round the corner.

"If that's the purple weirdos, then I'm a flying monkey's uncle." Flare stated.

"It's not. Just listen to those annoying voices." Hamma beckoned.

**Team ? (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

Said team slowly hiked the last few feet to the mat, slowly waved to the unresponsive brothers, and jumped on.

"Heehee! Welcome to Kong Island, home of the Kongs!" DK welcomed.

"Oh! Thanks!"

"To and Too." Blaise nodded slowly. "You are team number three."

**To & Too: Sisters- 3****rd**** Place, 9:03 P.M.**

"Yay! We got third!" To clapped excitedly.

"Maybe if we're lucky, we can get higher tomorrow!" Too added.

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master- Currently in 6****th**** (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"It's a Roadblock. 'Who wants to become one with the wind?'" Beldam read. "You know what? I think you do."

"What? Me? You can't be serious…" Queen muttered. After receiving a glare, she sighed. "Oh, alright, fine. Let me see it."

Handing her partner the clue, Beldam was soon wishing she hadn't.

"WHAT?! Bungee jumping! Nuh-uh! No way am I doing something this! There is NO way I'm going to do that! You can't make me!" Queen screamed.

"Well, you did that gliding thing back at Giant Land." Beldam reasoned.

"I don't care! This is dumb! I'd rather take another penalty!" Queen said, jabbing her finger into Beldam's side.

"Ow! What is wrong with you, girl? Too chicken or something?" Beldam suggested. "Go get in there!"

"I'm not going to stand for your blatant disrespect, you know." Queen argued.

"Well, I'M not your servant anymore, you know!" Beldam replied. "I'm not some robot here to do your bidding! Just get it over with!"

Shoved onto the bridge, Queen angrily glowered at the Shadow Siren with a heated, livid stare.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Time Penalty Remaining- 3:35:27) (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

"Well, it's too late now. We're still in the race, no matter how you look at it." Flare said defiantly. "Turns out, that penalty didn't hurt us a bit."

"Got that right…" Hamma smirked.

**Team ? (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

"Here it is!"

"Oh, my! It's Donkey Kong!"

Visibly exhausted from their long hike up the mountain, the two Toads leaned on each other and awaited the verdict.

"Welcome Kong Island, home of the Kongs!" DK said, hugging Toadsworth.

"Hey! He's my Toadsy-worthsy!" Zess scolded, stealing Toadsworth back from the gorilla, who laughed.

Blaise waited patiently for the two Toads to jump back upon noticing their closeness to each other before speaking. "Zess and Toadsworth. You are team number four."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Possibly Dating- 4****th**** Place, 9:40 P.M.**

"Thank goodness…now we can finally rest…" Zess sighed, collapsing on the mat. "Man, was that tiring…"

"Indeed…how we managed to keep on going, I'll never know…" Toadsworth chuckled.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers- Currently in Last (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"It looks like we're last…drat!" Shimi shouted, apprehensive of what could happen. "Roadblock! Who is bready to come to the finding?"

"That made no sense at all…not exactly the best of signs." Waitress urgently wrestled the Roadblock folder away from the fish. "…Become one with the wind? I'll go ahead and do it."

**Queen (DK Mountain, Bungee Jump)**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! BEEEEELLLDAAAAM, IIIIIII HAAAAATE YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Time Penalty Remaining- 3:25:59) (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

Uninterested with the humorous sight of DK eating banana after banana, the brothers had fallen asleep shortly after the previous check-in.

**Beldam & Queen: Former Servant & Master- Currently in 6****th**** (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"The pit stop! Oh, gosh! I hope that we can stay in even though we have a penalty!" Beldam wished. "Come on, Queen! HURRY!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Keep your stupid nose on!" Queen responded.

**Waitress (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"This is really, really, scary…" Waitress murmured. "I don't know if I want to go through with this…"

"What's so fairy about it?" Shimi questioned.

"Will you just look at that? This cliff has got to be, like, I don't know—a thousand or something feet deep! That's what's so scary!" Waitress exclaimed incredulously.

"It's only about nine-hundred feet." The Krusha corrected. "Hold still…"

After getting the Toad suited up, the Kremling stepped back and motioned for her to go ahead and leap.

"Oh, gosh…I can't believe I'm about to do this…" Waitress gulped. "Okay…one…two…three… EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Time Penalty Remaining- 3:13:09) (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

Still snoring away like hammers on concrete, the brothers continued to sleep, waiting out their penalty.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers- Currently in Last (DK Mountain, Wooden Bridge)**

"'The last team to check in may be eliminated.'" Waitress read.

"Is that mowing to be us?" Shimi asked sadly.

"…Probably not…the Ham-bros. and shadows took penalties, remember? We should be able to check in before them…but still! Hurry!" Waitress urged.

**Team ? (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

Blaise listened intently as he heard the sounds of another team approaching. He quickly whispered to DK to make him straighten up as the next duo came into view.

"Welcome to Kong Island, home of the Kongs!" DK shouted.

"…Ew…what is that thing?"

DK's face fell as he became unsure of whether to frown or to smile. He decided to do a bit of both.

"Beldam and Queen." Blaise stated quietly. "You are the sixth team to arrive. However, before I can check you in, you will have to wait out your four-hour penalty."

"Four hours?" Queen repeated. "…There's no way that those fancy-pants train workers will be delayed that long…"

"We tried…" Beldam smiled dejectedly.

**Team ? (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

As expected, the Excess Express employees tiredly rushed up to the pit stop mat and stepped on.

"Welcome to Kong Island, home of the Kongs." DK bowed graciously.

"Thanks…it's a real pleasure to be here."

"Yeah! To be square!"

"…"

"Shimi and Waitress." Blaise nodded. "You are team number five."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers- 5****th**** Place, 10:24 P.M.**

It took a moment for Blaise's words to register in the brains of the two, but when they did, their gloomy faces immediately brightened.

"YEAH! WE'RE STILL IN THIS!"

"WOOPEE!"

Embracing tightly and jumping around like crazy, the ruckus being made by the two was enough to wake up the tired brothers.

"Ugh…what's going on…" Flare asked groggily.

"Beldam and Queen. Hamma and Flare. Please step up." Blaise requested.

The shadow women, who had been standing off to the side holding each other and whimpering softly, slowly floated over to the mat. Still sleepy, the brothers walked a few steps and fell face-first onto the platform.

"Both teams received penalties." Blaise started. "You four do realize that, of course…as it was of your own will that you quit the task. To determine who stays in, we look at whose penalty time remaining is shorter."

Tears of grief were now streaming down the faces of Beldam and Queen; they already did the math, and knew what was coming. Hamma and Flare, on the other hand, drooled on the surface of the mat before slowly getting up.

"Because of that decision…Hamma and Flare, you are team number six."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 6****th**** Place, 1:14 A.M.**

"…Sixth…we cut it really close…" Hamma muttered. "We need to step it up in the next leg on all fronts…"

"You've got that right…" Flare sighed.

"And that means…" Blaise turned to the girls. Surprisingly, he actually seemed somewhat fazed by their emotional outburst prior to their check-in. "…Beldam and Queen…you are the last team to check in."

**Beldam & Queen: Formerly Servant & Master- Last**** Place, 2:03 A.M.**

Seeing that both were unresponsive, the red Yoshi continued.

"I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Blaise apologized contritely.

"…I knew it…" Queen murmured.

"It's okay…really." Beldam mumbled.

"Coming into the race, I definitely wasn't confident about how I was going to fare, especially with my partner. Queen was uncontrollable; she was out of her world domination state, but into a new faze where she cared about nobody but herself, being unreasonably cocky and self-serving…or so I thought. If anything, I'm glad that the race showed her that just because you were bad at one point, you don't have to be bad forever…I learned that shortly after her defeat, and I'm forever grateful to my sisters for helping me pull through with such a move. But to me, it means more that it was Queen that also changed…" Beldam sniffed, pausing to wipe some tears away. "I really wonder how our lives will be changed with this new dynamic…we're on good terms now, so what will happen? How'll we become better friends? I hope that it all ends up for the best."

"I learned a lot from just this one experience. Who knew that something so futile such as a competition would be so…remarkable? A period of ruling, a thousand years of anger and sorrow, and a time of nothing but darkness…and now an adventure I'm likely to never forget. There's life for you." Queen laughed slightly, taking the time to wipe her face of tears that continued to roll, despite her smile. "I'm especially grateful to King, because of what he did for me—he showed me what it meant to live, and helped drag me out of my pit of naivety. It isn't very often that you're touched simply by a gangster Koopa that seems to be as hardened as you are…but then again, I guess that I wasn't so hardened after all… Nevertheless…I'm glad to know that I shared such an experience with someone who was so unbelievably tolerant…and I thought that Vivian was always the one to step back and observe the shadows…"

While Shimi and Waitress quietly and kindly comforted the newly eliminated team, Hamma and Flare uncomfortably stood off to the side, watching the display with a small bit of repugnance. Without warning, DK grabbed the whole group in for a comforting group hug, to which Blaise didn't take very kindly. After being calmed down, the two shadows stared into the lantern that lit up the pit stop as they slowly retreated back into the shadows, waving.

The welcome darkness seemed to flicker in sympathy. Above, in the sky, space glimmered with millions and millions of stars, each one appearing to direct their light purposefully towards the small isle. On land, the wind subsided, and everything grew quiet and still. Although a two, at first, strange individuals, had ended up losing their opportunity to win the race, their opportunities for life were now as expansive as Kong Island.

-----

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_A new, never-before seen type of transport takes the teams somewhere they would have thought impossible._

"Oh, wow! Here we go!" Too clapped excitedly.

The group waited in anxious silence as the transporting vehicle started to rumble into motion.

"This is going to be so cool!" To giggled.

_Several team members struggle to master what skills are needed to steer through the Roadblock._

"I just don't understand why I can't get the gist of this…what is so difficult about it?" Zess questioned.

"GARGH! This is so darn confusing!" Hamma shouted, slamming his fists down.

_And one team narrowly averts disaster…_

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (For trees the microphones happy dance a lot!)" Smorgo sang.

Oblivious to the time bomb floating nearby, which was starting to beep faster and faster, the two Smorg continued to dance.

-----

Leg 8 Trivia:

- This is the first leg in which teams traveled to one of the more unique areas said to be located within the Mushroom world—Donkey Kong Island.

- The first destination on DK Isle, Congo Canopy, is often mentioned in sources as a single tree that branches out into large, leafy platforms. However, the author is a rebellious and non-educated person who decided that it supposedly made more sense for the canopy to be made up of several extraordinarily large trees.

- A play on the Donkey Kong game series is made by the Jungle-Sphere flight departing from terminal 'K3,' which was a frigid mountain range in the Northern Kremisphere. However, it is thought that the Northern Kremisphere and Kong Island are separated—this is what the author used as the basis for location separation (not that it would have mattered, considering some of the out-of-place locations).

- This leg's Roadblock somehow ended up being similar to the Fast Forward of another TAR author on coming out within the same month. Initially, it was designed after the "Extremely Swiss" option of the Leg 9 Detour in TAR3, and the Leg 6 Roadblock in TAR9. Coincidentally, the bungee jump number that this Roadblock features is supposedly the sum of the combined jumps from both seasons.

- Unless the author is badly mistaken, this is the first leg in which a team quit a task. Although the American edition of TAR involves the penalty for quitting a Roadblock being 4 hours when the next team arrives to that spot, the author uses a modified version of the Asian TAR, where penalties are applied at the pit stop (although this has only been used for Roadblocks, in this series, it applies to Detours, Roadblocks, and any additional such tasks required on the main track).

-----

Author's Note: I seriously do apologize, everyone…let's see…I think this is the second completely blind leg in which I've never played any of the games where the destination was from (fourth if you include user-creations Harborside Cabana and Clayouse Mesas), the first true one being Giant Land. Technically, I have played a Donkey Kong game that involved Kong Island before, but that was a long time ago. I think the game was Donkey Kong Land for the GBA, and I've since then somehow misplaced the cartridge…oh well, that's what Internet sources are for, I guess. But the thing is, a really hard detail about this leg was placing the spin-off areas I wanted to use as actual locations within the island (if you read, they would be the Congo Canopy from Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and DK Mountain from Mario Kart: Double Dash; another example would be DK Pass from Mario Kart DS), considering the already-placed locations such as the Monkey Mountains and Monkey Mines. Oh well…there goes another continuity error on my impossibilities log…gonna have it filled by the time the series is over, won't I?


	11. Leg 9: Spacing Out Placings!

Author's Note: Update on March 18, 2007.

Well, here we are...ninth leg with half of the teams left, and one of them just might be leaving the game today...I wonder how things will turn out. This chapter has over 20,000 words in it...hopefully they all contribute to the overall turnout of this leg.

Review Answers:

**Yoshi Hoshi**- Lolz… I really wonder sometimes how real time correlates to the way that the editors actually portray the race. It just seems so confusing sometimes, but it makes sense…just like how I somehow manage it. Heh… Yes, the Smorg are back to their old, usual selves…the supposed "Smorg Intelligence" arc is now over…I really enjoyed trying to make them seem overly confident and smart, too…but now…it's back to the fun!

**SSBFreak**- Heh, I bet that if there was an intelligence rift between the Smorg, one would somehow manage better than Flobbery did… I just wonder about that last part, "lesser-of-two-evils…" Sounds sort of scary…eheheh…

**Master Ruck**- So sorry…heh… The whole part about that was planned…hope that it doesn't take anything away from the race (except for two geniuses who just were unlucky enough to ever win a leg). I guess the only thing I can do to make it up to you is make it even more stressful: will they be able to survive again? I wonder…

-----

Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

_Seven teams raced from the arid desert land of Chomp Fields over 6,000 miles to Kong Island. Initially, things looked bad for To and Too, who were extremely late in trying to buy tickets for the flight where all the other teams were._

"Please let us on…we're begging you!" To pleaded.

"Really! It's mandatory we get on this flight out!" Too added.

"Is there no way at all we can make it on?" To asked.

_But in the end, the sisters managed to make it onto the plane. From the touchdown of the plane and onwards, the Smorg took to the front and didn't give anyone else a chance to catch up._

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I am in complete and utter disbelief…for once, we actually are first out of the airport.)" Smorga muttered.

_For nearly all of the teams, the requirement of finishing a par 3 hole at the Congo Canopy golf course became an absolute nightmare._

"DANG!"

"…This is going to take forever…" Andy moaned.

"Darn…" sighed Zess. "I missed it by just like, a millionth of an inch or something!"

"Just like, one after another, one ball was hit off, then another, and another. No one was having any luck in making it. It was just so hard to play an actual golf hole with no experience beforehand…" Waitress said.

"The pressure is just so unnerving…it keeps making me miss that platform!" Beldam cried in disgust.

_Realizing they had no chance at making it past the task, Andy and King decided to take the Fast Forward…_

Grabbing onto the nearest vine, King put his weight into a swing that allowed him within reaching distance of another vine. However, the way he tried to switch late resulted in him falling onto the mossy bottom.

_…And managed to make it. From there, they somehow made up for lost time by beating the Smorg out for another top finish._

"…You are team number one."

The homeboys stared sullenly before the late reaction sprung forth.

_Meanwhile, as the playing field at the hole narrowed down, and teams managed to get the hang of it one by one, two teams gave in to the tough challenge in favor of a penalty._

"Well, we're not wasting any more time here. We're taking that penalty." Hamma announced.

The Shadow Siren turned to Chef Shimi. "You can keep on going, fish head. We're outta here!"

_Several team members got to partake in a thrilling bungee jump into a deep ravine._

"OH, CRUUUUD! WOOOOOOOOOO!"

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Oh my! I sure am glad I took off my glasses!"

_As the leg neared its close, the penalty takers realized that it would not only be a race against the other teams, but also against time itself. In the end, the penalty of Hamma and Flare was lower, making them victorious over last-place Beldam and Queen._

"I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Blaise apologized contritely.

Andy & King Swing Into Lead; Beldam & Queen Reign No More

_Six teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is Kong Island, a remarkable isle that contains the base environmental extremes within the span of less than 300 square miles. While the majority of the landmass is covered in a dense, nearly impenetrable jungle undergrowth, various other landforms and structures extend from the surrounding landscape, including mountains, water masses, small towns, and glaciers. In the heart of the Kongo Jungle is a spread-out range of mountains, one of them being an active volcano known as DK Mountain. This extremely rocky peak was once the site of a racetrack in the Double Dash Grand Prix, and was also the eighth pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The six teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_With their Fast Forward now gone, can Andy and King capitalize on their lead and maintain a strong standing to the end? Will the continuing three-team alliance hold fast, despite the decreasing number of spots left and the increasing competition? And can Hamma and Flare finally make it to a safe spot where they can avoid the stress in their penalties?_

_Andy and King, who were the first to arrive at 7:58 P.M…_

"We're wha—?" King asked with mock disbelief. "No way, man!"

"Awesome!" Andy exclaimed, exchanging a high-five with his partner.

_…Will depart at 7:58 A.M._

-----

At the break of dawn, the sun's rays had peeked over the horizon—that moment was now long gone, and the sun had been steadily rising for quite a while, spreading its warmth over the tropical island. A calm, soothing breeze ran through the area, zipping from one place to the next, indecisive of where to settle; in its wake, movement occurred in the trees, the water, and the mountains. However, quite a few clouds had gathered into the sky, a few of them close to the top of the volcano.

Standing at the lookout point of DK Mountain, an active volcano relatively secluded from the other mountainous landforms in the midst of the Kongo Jungle, were Andy and King, who were preparing to leave the pit stop.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 1****st**** to Depart, 7:58 A.M. (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

This time around, Andy had swapped his appearance entirely—instead of wearing the usual Bandit robe, he had opted for something more easygoing, casual, and honest in the form of a green shirt, shorts, and sneakers, but kept the mask and hood. The decision was most likely easier for King, who was now dressed in full chokers and wristbands, his signature sunglasses, and a T-shirt over the front of his shell that displayed the phrase, "Shell Machines of Doom."

Upon noticing that it was time for them to open their envelope, the friends did so, pocketing the paper strip.

"'Route Info. Drive yourselves back to Banana Airport, and sign up for a charter rocket that will take you to Future Dream. Once there, catch an air taxi that will take you to Area 1 of the Prospect Lab, and locate the air taxi lift-off point on Area 3, where you will find your next clue.'"

_Teams must now drive themselves approximately 12 miles back to Banana Airport, and sign up for one of two charter rockets that have the capacity limit of three teams each to take them 2,301 miles to the highest reality of Dream Depot, known as Future Dream. This remarkable landmark, one of six notable thought conglomerations, was once created by dreams of the future and outer space, and brought to life through the intense wishes of many minds, combined with the extraordinary powers of the Star Spirits. Once at the Futuristic Airfield, teams will need to hire an air taxi that will transport them about 2 miles through space to this set of three space stations, known as the Prospect Lab. Using a warp pad, teams will have to travel from the main central station to the westernmost post. It is here, at the entrance to the air taxi testing area, that teams will find their next clue._

"'You have 52 Smash coins for this leg of the race.'" Andy concluded. "Alright…this sounds pretty cool. We're goin' to outer space! There are two rockets, so we should be able to catch the first one."

"Alright, dawg! Let's get movin'!" King exclaimed.

Knowing that the Smorg were about to leave right after them, the two started crashing down the mountain—once they started running, it seemed impossible to hold back against the force of gravity to stop.

"So far, we've done pretty good. We've racked up several first-place wins already, even though one of 'em was with me and Beldam…" Andy shrugged. "Now, the original crew has been cut in half, and the competition is tougher than ever. Although I think we might run into a few problems in the other teams, it's obvious that they've realized exactly how tough of a team we are. We're without an alliance now, and we've survived for quite a while without having to use one."

"Think the Smorg'll actually pen down?" King inquired.

"Heh, I doubt it…" Andy smirked.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- 2****nd**** to Depart, 7:59 A.M. (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

No one had yet figured out that the Smorg were back to their clueless state from the beginning of the race; everyone thought they'd been that way the whole time. Somehow, the wily duo had managed to get covered in several layers of soot and dust, presumably from the active volcano, and were currently tracking all kinds of particles on the mat.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Smores yummy-licious!)" Smorga shouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How could your uncle be your father?)" Smorgo asked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Simply smoothie!)" Smorga replied.

Soon, the Smorg gravitated towards the beginning of the path down the mountain. Eventually, their rolling became out of control, and they started bouncing down the volcano like one of the rocky boulders.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! BUG!)"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

After the exhausting, but exciting, run down the mountain, the two homeboys arrived back at the dirt parking lot.

"Feels kinda odd now 'dat Queenie and SS-Ice are gone…" King commented. "S'pose I got a bit too 'tached to 'em…"

"Well, we did sorta befriend them for the most recent legs…" Andy offered. "That's probably the reason."

"Eh…sure…"

Not wasting any time in shoving their backpacks into the trunk of the rover, the friends climbed into their marked car and drove off.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (She'll be comin' around the mountain when she comes!)"

Because they had no packs, and the unopened envelope was stuck to Smorga's started-over collection, the two creatures had no trouble at all in getting into their car.

-----

By this time, even more clouds had moved into the area, and were looking quite heavy and dark. This didn't stop incoming flights and departing planes from zipping in and out of Banana Airport; although there weren't many people actually around, the building seemed to be in top working conditions.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Banana Airport, Main Lot)**

Quickly parking the marked car in an open slot, the two racers jumped out, grabbed their backpacks, and headed inside.

"Okay…so we need to find the marked counter and sign up for the first…erm…rocket…to outer space." Andy stated.

"Shouldn't be too hard seekin'…blip down the spot, and first seat 's ours." King shrugged.

After managing to make heads and tails of his friend's previous statement, Andy spotted the marked counter, and the two wooden clipboards resting on top.

"Let's see…we'll have a lead on the other teams by…a mere hour?" Andy voiced. "…Well, I guess it's better than nothing…"

(Andy & King- 1st on Charter Rocket 1)

"Bunch-ups stench the garbage lot, don't they?" King joked.

"They sure do…"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Banana Airport, Ticket Reservations Hall)**

Somehow, the Smorg had made it to the airport. Somehow, the Smorg had jumped up onto the counter. Somehow, they both left dirty smudges that left their names on the paper.

(Smorgo & Smorga- 2nd on Charter Rocket 1)

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Amble into doors of printing avocadoes!)" Smorga paraded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (A lovely bastion of swarming butterflies.)" Smorgo cheered.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- 3****rd**** to Depart, 9:03 A.M. (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

Somewhat unaware of the early morning chill, the sisters were both wearing blue jeans and matching sleeveless white shirts adorned with glitter, markers, and stickers, the latter of which were obviously homemade. Both Toads had their hair balled up in their classic look, with two spheres of hair on each side of their bright faces.

"'You have 52 Smash coins for this leg of the race.'" To finished reading. "Is it all here?"

"Yeah." Too confirmed with a nod, holding the bill up to the credit card. "Let's go!"

Holding hands, the girls energetically started to skip down the mountain at a leisurely pace, clearly enjoying themselves.

"Well, it's somewhat surprising that we've managed to hold our own for so long…we've made it to the ninth leg," declared To. "Our goal from here on out is probably just survival. We're not exactly the strongest of teams, but then again, we're not the weakest. After all, we ARE the last remaining female team…that says something, doesn't it? I'm pretty sure that although the race is starting to really take its toll on pretty much everyone, we can still continue to enjoy what we have…what fun is it to be serious all the time?"

"This is such a nice view, isn't it? I heard that DK Mountain was used as a race course!" Too exclaimed.

"Really? That sounds cool!" To responded.

**To & Too: Sisters (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

Because of their position and timing, the sisters were able to reach the parking lot before the fourth departure.

"Sadly to say, there's not really any use in waiting up for the Ham-bros. to overtake us just so we can be with the rest of the alliance…" To realized. "That wouldn't do us any good…"

"Yeah. We'll probably make it onto the first rocket…" Too sighed. "Well, we'll just have to try our hardest to make up for it."

Climbing into the marked car, Too took the wheel and drove out.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- 4****th**** to Depart, 9:40 A.M. (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

The two elderly Toads had kept an aura of resemblance to each other in their attire. Zess was clad in a red shirt and white pants, and had her hair coiled into a ball behind her head. Toadsworth was wearing his purple jacket over a white undershirt and khaki pants.

"Oh, dear…it appears that we may be at a disadvantage. There's most likely a lapse in time between the departures of these two rocketships…" Zess murmured worriedly.

"Well then, I suppose we will have to do our best." Toadsworth sighed. "It is quite remarkable, though…I never would have guessed that the dream world could have been reincarnated as real, tangible locations."

"It is called Future Dream, isn't it?" Zess inquired.

"Affirmative. Master Mario and his friends once recounted to me an instance when they had to save the Dream Depot from Bowser and his Koopa Kid…there were several dreams there, guarded by the ever-so-glorious Star Spirits…" Toadsworth recalled. "But, it occurred in their sleep. I have no idea how they were able to participate in such a saving when it was all in their heads…"

"Maybe it could have been at the actual places, then?" Zess suggested.

"Possibly…but I have never heard of this real-world location." Toadsworth mused. "We shall just have to see."

"So far, my affiliations with such adventurous comrades has paid off—knowledge of their travels and adventures alone as helped to push us ahead in several legs already, along with what I gathered from personal experience." Toadsworth said proudly. "It really is an amazing thing that we have such an advantage over most of the other teams…having such a leg up has been so handy. However, it obviously cannot push us all that far…we have to rely on our own strengths for much of the work. So far, we have managed."

Taking their prior experience from the night before, the two decided to pace themselves on their walk down the mountain.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

"That took quite a while…oh, my legs…" Toadsworth groaned, getting into the car seat.

"Being old does have its pros and cons now, doesn't it?" Zess chuckled. "Well, we better get going…"

Toadsworth steadily backed the car out of the lot and drove it out.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Banana Airport, Ticket Reservations Hall)**

"…I wonder how the Smorg actually made this rocket?" Too questioned. "That's…amazing…"

"Yeah. How'd they pull something like that off?" To murmured. "Maybe they actually have something going for them…"

Shrugging it off, the Toads picked up the pen.

(To & Too- Last on Charter Rocket 1)

"I really hope that maybe, just maybe…Zessworth and Shim-stress can at least pass the Ham-bros. on the way to the pit stop…" To bit her lip. "It's wrong to wish malice, but that's just the way it needs to be…"

Sighing, the sisters looked at each other sadly and silently made their wishes.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Banana Airport, Ticket Reservations Hall)**

"Goodness…this can't be right…"

The chef looked in astonishment from one clipboard to the other.

"…There's no room left…I thought for sure that the Smorg might have messed up…" Zess fretted. "There's almost no way we can match the other two teams that are with us…"

Seeing his partner's worry, Toadsworth managed a look of reassurance.

"Do not worry, Zess…I am positive that if we work together with Shimi and Waitress, we can overcome this obstacle." Toadsworth said confidently. "After all…it will be us against Hamma and Flare…and they do not always work all that well together, do they?"

(Zess & Toadsworth- 1st on Charter Rocket 2)

"Not exactly…" Zess muttered. "I guess you're right…but still, we have got to play it safe. I don't like it one bit…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 5****th**** to Depart, 10:24 A.M. (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

For this leg, the Excess Express workers seemed to have gone advertisement crazy—Shimi was wearing the same baseball cap from the last leg with the Poshley Heights baseball team, and a small bracelet around his fin that showed a dramatized, elongated picture of the Excess Express. Waitress had on her shirt that showed the front of the famed train on her chest, and the rear on her back. Her jeans were adorned with stylish little jewels that slightly resembled plates, and the tie that kept her ponytail in place was covered with the words, "I'm a waitress!"

Waitress opened the envelope. "'Route Info. Drive yourselves back to Banana Airport…'"

"It's getting barter and carder to continue defacing the…erm…what I mane to say was…it's getting harder and harder to continue erasing the face because…" Shimi paused again. "…Never mine…talking is so lard sometimes…makes me just want to spleen in concentration…"

"Okay! Let's bun hound the mountain!" Shimi exclaimed.

"…What?" Waitress asked.

"…Let's gun round the…shun sound…pun cloud?" Shimi asked. "…Um…ton found?"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

Upon reaching the dirt-laden parking lot, the duo jumped into their marked car.

"Okay…so we need to go back to Banana Airport…" Waitress mused. "I think I see that on the map…"

"Great! I can hive us bear!" Shimi said brilliantly.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Banana Airport, Ticket Reservations Hall)**

"I sort of knew that we wouldn't make the first shuttle…oh well."

Sighing, the purple-haired Toad reluctantly picked up the pen and signed on the clipboard.

(Shimi & Waitress- 2nd on Charter Rocket 2)

"At least Zessworth is blithe us!" Shimi said optimistically. "We can fork together with hens!"

"…'Fork together with hens?'" Waitress repeated. "…Huh?"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Last to Depart, 1:14 P.M. (DK Mountain, Lookout Point)**

Once again, the Hammer and Fire Bros. retained their respectively colored hoodies, and were wearing their helmets. Virtually nothing else had been added to or subtracted from their attire.

"We finally got us some cash…luckily, we didn't need any last leg…" Hamma announced. "Lookit those 52 gold coins…"

"For quite a while now, Flare and I have been hugging the back few places like its our home or something. We've been stuck in last, or near last, for a few legs now…it's getting to be very painful, and very discouraging…" Hamma groaned. "I hate to say it, but possibly the only chance we're going to have soon will be to use our Fast Forward, and that was something we were planning to save until the third-to-last leg for an added boost before the finish line. Oh well…whatever you gotta do, you gotta do."

"There's not really any point in running down this stupid slab of stone…we might as well walk. The rocket'll wait for us." Flare mumbled.

"I guess…anything to keep those other guys on their toes…" Hamma shrugged. "It'll probably take off late at night or something…and I don't want to be compared to the Smorg in punctuality."

"That's something to be said…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (DK Mountain, Dirt Lot)**

Upon bursting through the undergrowth, the major league fighters headed over to the only remaining car: theirs.

"Make sure to find a direct route to Banana Airport, and don't get us lost…already this stupid jungle is getting on my nerves." Flare held his head.

"Sure, sure…whatever you say." Hamma rolled his eyes, unfolding the map.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Banana Airport, Ticket Reservations Hall)**

Walking leisurely over to the counter, the brothers placed their names on the last spot on the clipboard.

(Hamma & Flare- Last on Charter Rocket 2)

"Looks like we're brawling against two allied enemies…" Hamma snickered. "This should be pretty easy. Just hope that the annoying fish doesn't get on my nerves on the ride up…"

"Oh, he'll find some stupid way how." Flare sucked his teeth.

-----

"Well, group…looks like it's just us four…and you Smorg." Andy sighed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Cheese and cheetah crackers!)" Smorgo chirped.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Tune to the tulip treetops!)" Smorga chimed.

Fastening their seatbelts, the three teams looked about them. The rocket wasn't exactly first-class accommodations—the space in which they were riding was sort of cramped. However, the plush seats had seatbelts, and everyone had a view outside through the circular windows.

"Oh, wow! Here we go!" Too clapped excitedly.

The group waited in anxious silence as the transporting vehicle started to rumble into motion.

"This is going to be so cool!" To giggled.

"None of us had ever rode in a rocket before! The rumbling of the whole thing, how you could feel the shaking, ooh it was so cool!" Too squealed.

**(Charter Rocket 1- Lifting Off at 6:00 P.M.)**

-----

"This should be quite an enlightening ride…" Toadsworth twiddled his thumbs anxiously.

"I've never been to outer space before!" Waitress added.

"Hardly anyone has, doofus…" Flare muttered under his breath. Luckily, the Toad didn't hear…or pretended not to.

"In that case, here's your first go!" Zess congratulated.

"Mine too!" Shimi chimed in.

**(Charter Rocket 2- Lifting Off at 7:00 P.M.)**

-----

_All six teams are now traveling via space rocket to Future Dream of Dream Depot. On the first rocket ship are best friends Andy and King, sisters To and Too, and miasma partners Smorgo and Smorga. On the second rocket ship, scheduled to arrive an hour after the first, are train workers Shimi and Waitress, long-distance dating couple Zess and Toadsworth, and brothers Hamma and Flare._

-----

Outer space in the midst of an area based purely on technology was definitely not overrated. Future Dream, the highest location of the straight-lined real world Dream Depot, was basically a large research center that doubled as living quarters for the workers. Most of the buildings and structures were either open-air, or covered with what looked like a retractable roof. Metallic surfaces mirrored the sun's rays everywhere the eye could see, and flashing lights and colors everywhere were blinking on and off in their respective areas.

Relatively the most airport-like place in the whole area, the Futuristic Airfield was loaded with a variety of space shuttles, ships, and other types of innovative space travel vehicles. Like most earthly airports, it had a landing strip, a main building, and a shipload of employees. Another aspect was a large conveyor belt that was most likely used for non-transforming, no wheel transport…such as a rocket that landed on it to be moved over to the disembarking area.

**(Charter Rocket 1- Landing at 2:00 A.M.)**

The awkward flight schedule had already thrown the sleep of the teams off balance, but by the looks of things, the group was running on overdrive as they hurried through the building.

**Andy & King / To & Too (Futuristic Airfield, Main Dome)**

"Just look at that magnificent view!" To pointed out, her finger in the direction of the glass ceiling that revealed the wonders of space.

At that, the four stopped for a moment and peered out through the ceiling.

"Pretty neat way to capitalize on the location, huh?" Andy smirked. "I never even thought that they could do something like this…the closest I'd go for would be an observatory."

"Sure got that right." King agreed. "Well, zip it up and spread the gas, man! We gotta go!"

"Hey, no fair!" Too giggled. "Wait up, guys!"

After a few moments of searching, the two teams reached the area of the airport with the air taxis.

"We need to go to the Prospect Lab. You know where that is, right?" Andy asked.

"Of course. Hop in, and I can take you there." Came the monotone reply of the robotic driver.

"…Whoa."

"If possible, try and beat that taxi in front of you. They're going to the same place as we are." Too informed the driver.

"I'll do my best!" the helmet-wearing Goomba assured.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Futuristic Airfield, Taxi Terminal)**

"Ack. Get it off of me."

Completely scared out of its mind, the monotone-voiced robot swung its arms around crazily in an attempt to throw off the two Smorg, but ended up falling back into its vehicle. Seeing no other solution, it decided on only one possible solution.

"You have demanded no mercy, you freaks of nature. Prepare to be demolished."

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Future Dream Streets)**

Doing their best to ignore the heat of the race and stay cool, the two friends looked out the windows at the sight around them.

"All these rad buildings, yo! Never seen things like this at the pit 'cept for the digi-boards!" King exclaimed.

"You've got that right…" Andy smiled.

Suddenly, the two noticed another taxi zoom by at breakneck speeds overhead.

"…Who was that?" King inquired.

"Well, it definitely wasn't the sisters…" Andy replied, looking back. "Man…I really wish we weren't racing when it was so late…"

**To & Too: Sisters (Future Dream Streets)**

"I wonder who that was…that driver should be more responsible." To stated. "That's really dangerous."

"Yeah…I hope that there isn't some kind of malfunction going on. It happens every once in a while, but very rarely," explained the Goomba.

"I just hope that no one gets hurt…" Too murmured, yawning.

-----

The Prospect Lab was an exact reincarnation of Dream Depot's famed Future Dream—it was located in the midst of the area, suggesting that what was built around it was continually added from granted wishes. Three platforms containing various research equipment floated at different altitudes, each with different aspects of outer space travel—rocket ships, teleportation, etc.

Suddenly, a taxi flew by the entrance, and two figures were thrown from the open window as the vehicle sped off.

"I have succeeded. Hahaha."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Prospect Lab, Area 1 Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Banana cream crab!)" Smorgo shouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Lovely lady lioness!)" Smorga echoed.

The two Smorg rolled off towards the rocket ships, and latched on.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (WHEEEEEEE!)"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Prospect Lab, Area 1 Entrance)**

Following the payment of their taxi driver, the homeboys disembarked from the cab.

"Okay…Area 3's lift-off point…" Andy mumbled. "How do we get to that platform?"

"Maybe it gotta do with this." King said, pointing at a flag posted near the teleportation device.

"Prob'ly…" Andy shrugged.

Stepping on, the two gasped upon realizing that glowing rings were being emitted from the tile. They found their world enveloped with a bluish-green light as they were transported to Area 3.

"…Wicked…" King chuckled.

**To & Too: Sisters (Prospect Lab, Area 1 Entrance)**

"Look over there…it's the Smorg…" To said in confusion. "I wonder if they were the ones in that out-of-control taxi we saw earlier…"

"Most likely…" Too giggled. "Oh well."

After taking a few pictures with their cameras, the two went over to the teleportation device.

"This light is so pretty!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"This should be it…"

After a bit of searching, the two friends strolled up to the entrance to an elevated lift-off platform that held six unique-looking cars that strangely resembled UFOs. They pulled a clue envelope from the box.

"Let's see what this is…" Andy tore the strip from the container. "…Well, whaddya know? It's a Roadblock. 'Who will steer this team to the end?'"

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight on the entire race._

In this Roadblock, that team member must pass a driving test for one of the more difficult vehicles used in outer space travel—the domestic UFO. While under the instruction of a professional robot driver, the team member will have to master the diverse controls of this machine—UFOs are extremely sensitive to the slightest movement of the driving pad, and the gas and brake pedals and levers must be set at strict levels to achieve good speed and stopping. Once the participant is cleared by their instructor, they will receive their next clue. For this Roadblock, quitting is not an option—team members will be required to drive their team for the duration of the leg.

"Guess it's my turn." King shrugged.

"Alright…" Andy opened the card. "…Well, I could've figured that you'd be driving one of those weird-looking UFOs over there…didn't know that you'd be taxiing me around afterwards."

"Better pass it, then, don't I? If not, then we crash and burn…literal, bookwise." King snickered.

"Yeah…not exactly the best idea. Just go for it."

King nodded, and headed up the steps to the raised platform.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"'Roadblock. Who will steer this team to the end?'" To read. "That's you. We'll keep our counts even."

"Alright." Too looked up at the platform. "Looks like I get to go flying…this should be fun!"

As her sister ran up the stairs, To took out her camera.

"…Wait…you brought your camera here?" Andy asked disbelievingly.

"…Well, yeah. Besides…it's a hobby!" To giggled, snapping Andy's picture—much to his chagrin.

**King (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"And this pad here is what you will be utilizing for most of the ride. To use it, just control it with your hands by placing them in the direction you wish to go in. It also doubles as the reverse normally seen in cars when you flip this switch right here. It is also very important to keep your hands down when you wish to continue turning…"

King K. yawned and propped his legs up on the dashboard, but the robot didn't seem to notice.

"Don't look too hard to me…" King mused.

**Too (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"What does this one do?" Too asked, rubbing her eyes.

"It is what will cause your vehicle to back up. Without flipping it on, your UFO will instead change vertical lanes."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 3****rd**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

Andy and To looked up to see the Smorg rolling towards them. They wisely chose to move out of the way as the clue box was tackled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Persimmons plucked purple plums.)" Smorgo announced.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Squirt super sloth sorrowfully." Smorga responded.

Several envelopes fell out, one of them getting stuck to Smorga, who tripped and fell over the remaining, and somehow, fell UP the stairs. Smorgo, on the other hand, continued to roll around the terminal, oblivious to the absence of a partner.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Gravy!)" Smorgo laughed.

**King (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"I surmise you are now ready to begin. Please initiate the start of the anti-gravity lifters," said the instructor.

"Alright! Here we go!" King shouted excitedly. He flipped the switches and put his leg on the gas pedal.

"Please begin the course, following my given instructions."

**Too (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Too clapped. "I just push on the gas pedal, and I go forward, right?"

"Indeed." The robot nodded mechanically with an up and down movement.

"During the Roadblock, I had this really weird robot for a teacher. Obviously, he was intelligent enough to answer questions and provide feedback, but there just wasn't very much interesting stuff to do with something that seems sort of emotionless…" Too reasoned. "I wish that we didn't have to have had robots as the instructors for the Roadblock…it felt just so awkward…"

Too smiled nervously, and continued controlling the UFO around the course.

**King (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"And now change lanes to avoid the bumper."

King did as he was told, moving his hands up on the screen.

"This is pretty darn easy…" King mused to himself. "Drivin' in style'll be a wind in the treez…"

**Smorga (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Hooray for kazoos!)"

"Eek. Please save me from this absolutely clueless menace from the depths of the black hole."

**King (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"Now for parking…you flip this switch and maneuver with the screen," instructed the robot.

"…Nice…" King smirked.

"And now, you redo the course without my assistance in saying anything. Go for it."

Startled, the KP Koopa face fell.

"I gotta do it all over, dawg? Ah, crud…"

**Too (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"Watch how you steer around those curves, young lady. The screen is very, very sensitive to your individual movements."

"…I see that now…" Too replied, a bit shaken after nearly catapulting into the course wall.

**Smorga (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"Stop. Cease. Desist. I am ordering you right now to discontinue your reckless, unguided driving of this vehicle."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Grapes go goo-goo-ga-ga! I luv rotten tomato doodles!)" Smorga exclaimed.

CRASH!

**Andy / To / Smorgo (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"What was that noise?" To asked. "It sounded like something metal bounced off of something else…"

"…Dunno. If anything, I'd hope it wasn't either of our partners, though." Andy bit his lip before yawning.

Completely oblivious to what was going on, Smorgo rummaged through the scattered parts of metal, rubber, and trash. After a couple of minutes, the two normal racers watched as a UFO pulled into the area, parking somewhat haphazardly, but managing to avoid the obstacles in the parking area.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"Whoo…thattasa close one…" King breathed.

The robot stepped out of the UFO and handed the team an envelope.

"You have successfully passed the driving test for the model CIRC-X5 UFO. Please accept this."

Andy raised an eyebrow as the android floated away.

"Heh…didn't even bother listenin' to him. Lucky I didn't crash, right?" King chuckled.

"I guess so…wouldn't want a smashed shell of a partner." Andy grinned. "Let's see… 'The passed team member must now be the one to drive the team around for the duration of this leg. Now, proceed to the town of Astro Avenue and locate Eternal-Earth Bridge, where your next clue is.'"

_Using the vehicle that they used to just pass the driving test, teams must now drive themselves approximately 32 miles to this floating city, known as Astro Avenue. This unique town, which hovers closely above Cheese Land on the Mushroom world, is known for its starry roads and planet-based locales. After reaching the boundaries of this exceptional walk, teams will need to locate this bridge, which was built above a circular run of water that continuously moves around and around the city, even moving on the underside, whilst protected from gravity by a mysterious force. Here, teams will find their next clue._

"Eternal-Earth Bridge…that's just a single crossover. We're definitely going to have to ask for directions when we get into town." Andy remarked.

"Got that right. Now let's get unidentified and out!" King exclaimed.

The two homeboys stepped into the used UFO, and with King at the touch screen, drove out of Area 3 and in the direction of the next destination.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Sakuras shoot the stars every Saturday monsoon!)" Smorgo stated brightly.

Shortly after the best friends had left the scene, the green-haired Toad girl pulled up in her UFO, parking it as smoothly as she could. Much to her relief, the robot sitting next to her nodded.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"Thank you so much…" Too grinned as she accepted the envelope from the retreating automatron.

"I heard about where we're going." To informed. "Let's see what it is; I didn't exactly catch all of it."

"Alright…" Too brushed her hair out of her face. "'The passed team member must now be the one to drive the team around for the duration of this leg. Now, proceed to the town of Astro Avenue and locate Eternal-Earth Bridge, where your next clue is.'"

"Eternal-Earth Bridge? Ooh, that sounds all mystic and stuff…" To squealed.

"Yeah, I know…I wouldn't be surprised if there was a mural of the world superimposed on the paint or something…" Too fantasized.

As the two continued to think about the looks of their next destination, they hopped into their UFO. To started it up again, and started driving it towards Astro Avenue.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 3****rd**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"…There is no replacement vehicle…you have no brakes, no lights, and no turn signal. I am afraid that I will not be escorting you anymore, you irresponsible, thoughtless, being," berated the robot in an angry-sounding monotone. "I have no care for these stupid race rules—take this wood pulp and degrade it in whatever way you decompose things, you distasteful fungi."

The android walked away from the wreckage. Smorga had somehow crashed the UFO into the wall boundary of the lift-off area, dismantling several of the essential system functions of the vehicle. However, evidently, the Smorg had been let off the hook…

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Alien invasion! Boom boom kashoom!)" Smorga screeched, mashing several buttons and switches without warning.

Suddenly, the UFO started to quiver violently as it zigzagged uncontrollably. It crashed into Smorgo, causing the disc to fly up into the air and onto the top of the glass dome, and then proceeded to bump into several experiments before heading into open space.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Which doctor is your lovable huggable teddy-weddy? It time for skateboard!)" Smorgo said cheerfully.

-----

Needless to say, Astro Avenue definitely wasn't exactly similar to most Mushroom world cities—not only were the streets translucent, but the buildings glowed with an unnatural luster, and obviously, millions upon millions of stars were visible from the area by the naked eye, instead of the usual sun incarnation only available during daytime on the regular earth surface. The roads were set in three layers that were easily distinguished by small markers that hovered above the road at several intervals, set at different heights—besides this small differentiation, the road system was quite similar to that of the majority of the world roads, with various vehicles driving on the right side.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Astro Avenue Streets)**

"Whoa…this is major wicked, dawg…" King remarked, looking about while keeping a sharp eye on the road.

"Definitely. Just look at all these cool buildings…and you can see the rest of space so clearly, too…man, I'd love to live out here…" Andy commented trailing off as he covered his mouth when he yawned again.

"Sure'd be fitting for a geek."

"Yeah…wait… Hey!"

**To & Too: Sisters (Astro Avenue Streets)**

"Oh wow, this is pretty!" To said, madly taking snapshots almost every second with her camera.

"How far is it to the bridge?" Too inquired.

"Um…" To paused to look at the map spread out on her lap. "According to this, it's only a few streets down…we should get there in no time…"

After saying that, the pink-haired Toad resumed the picture-taking frenzy.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Astro Avenue Boundaries)**

"LOOK OUT FOR THAT UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT!"

"That's a UFO, stupid."

"I know, man. I just said that!"

"You idiots! Just move out of the way!"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (One-hundred new iron salsas dancing with tamales!)" Smorgo laughed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Dime time!)" Smorga added.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Astro Avenue, Eternal-Earth Bridge)**

"That's gotta be it! Just look at it!"

King brought the hovercraft to an abrupt stop at the side of the street (on the lowest level of the road, of course), allowing the two to get out. They ran over, and quickly marveled at the sight of the beautiful bridge—a lighting effect from above created a dazzling color arrangement of the universe on the moving water. However, the two snapped out of it and went over to the clue box.

"This town's got everythin', man…I swear." King chuckled. "Whaddya know? We got the splitter… 'Detour. "Star Burst" or "Star Dust." How do you treat the stars?'"

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams will have to choose between two activities commonly performed in the everyday lives of typical outer space citizens for the cause of the greater good. Their choice? "Star Burst" or "Star Dust."_

_In "Star Burst," teams will have to drive themselves 3 miles to this place—the Detonaboratory. Once here, teams will be shuttled at light speeds by teleport-tram out of the Astro Avenue vicinity approximately 950,000 star units to this faraway, dying star system. Teams will then be sent out into deep space with several time bombs to perform a scientific gathering process that is commonly used to obtain gases, star pieces, solidified light energy, and smile power—they must set and place the time bombs near their assigned dying star, and then retreat to the safety of their tram as the star explodes. Once back in Astro Avenue, teams will receive their next clue._

_In "Star Dust," teams will have to drive themselves one-half of a mile to one of these marked-off roads, where they will commence in performing a monthly chore done by certain workers: sprinkling star dust, the magical force that keeps several types of outer space vehicles airborne whilst above regular planetary trails, along the road. Using however many buckets of the star dust needed, teams will have to evenly scatter the powder all over the road, which is approximately 12 feet across and 60 feet long. Once a thin layer of dust has been scattered, and a supervisor has given the okay, teams will get to watch several various types of vehicles test out their job, as well as obtain their next clue._

"…Well, if there's a unique shuttle that can travel that far away, why can't we just use it for racing purposes…" Andy murmured. "This sounds pretty uneven; it's an easy decision…I'm up for exploding a star; it sounds cool. We might even get to see a black hole as it collapses!"

"…Heh, right…" King laughed. "Not exactly lookin' forward to explodin'…guess it's safe, though. Let's motor out to burst!"

Having made the decision, the fighters made their way back to the UFO.

"…Detonaboratory…erm…okay, I think I found it." Andy announced, yawning.

"I don't think that even the technology at the Glitz Pit is as good as that of Astro Avenue…the lighting effect we saw at Eternal-Earth bridge was just unworldly…never seen anything like it," marveled Andy. "It was pretty neat."

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Astro Avenue, Eternal-Earth Bridge)**

Unsurprisingly, the two Toad girls were heavily engrossed into taking pictures of the light show, squealing wildly like fan girls about to meet their hero. After quite a bit of snapping, the two went up to the clue box.

"Let's see what's in here…" To took an envelope out. "'Detour. Star Burst or Star Dust. How do you treat the stars?'"

"That sounds pretty neat…what should we do?" Too inquired.

"Well, we could travel at pretty much warp speed…that could be fun!" To suggested.

"Alright!"

Excited, the two got back into their UFO.

-----

**(Charter Rocket 2- Landing at 3:00 A.M.)**

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Futuristic Airfield, Taxi Terminal)**

"We need to go to Prospect Lab, fast as possible. We got some guys on our trail we gotta lose." Flare informed the driver.

"…Speeding is prohibited out here…" the robot said confusedly. "I will take you to the Prospect Lab under the speed limit."

"Fine, fine, just hurry!" Hamma ushered, stuffing the bags into the trunk of the cab.

**Zess & Toadsworth / Shimi & Waitress (Futuristic Airfield, Taxi Terminal)**

"…And make sure you follow them there. Don't lose them, please." Zess reminded.

"Of course, madam."

"I think the brothers left already, guys! We have to catch up!" Waitress called from the other taxi.

"We're well aware; just go!" Toadsworth yelled back.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Astro Avenue Streets)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Watch the foot go round and round into the slushy applesauce!)" Smorgo giggled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Candle flame and candle ground, watch the dirt put out my sound!)" Smorga bawled.

Continuing the erratic drive through the city, Smorga crashed into several lampposts and mailboxes. At this point, countless residents were quite annoyed, and yelled various things as they dodged the incoming UFO.

"DIDN'T YA GET THE MESSAGE?! CDS ARE OUT OF STYLE!"

-----

The Detonabatory was quite a unique place—its theme most likely had some effect on the name. Similarly to the airfield, the building had a translucent glass dome that had a black tinting that resembled a bomb. Additionally, the columns holding up the overhang outside of the building were decorated to look like dynamite sticks.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Detonaboratory Entrance)**

"Looks like the right place, ain't it?" King asked.

"I would think so. Just look at that kooky design…" Andy remarked.

Taking only the travel pack with them, the two friends got out from their UFO and headed inside the automatic doors. They followed several marked signs to the very back of the area, where they found several strange looking shuttles parked in a room with an open wall that faced open outer space.

"Dude…check out the trams!" King marveled. "Sweet ride!"

The duo chose a teleport-tram and driver, and got in. After buckling up, the driver (who was a Paratroopa, not a robot) started up the high-speed hovercraft. When the engine had grown to a small purr, the vehicle sped off in less than a second, disappearing into the distance.

"WHOO-HOO-HOO!"

**To & Too: Sisters (Detonaboratory, Teleport-Tram Garage)**

"These things look pretty fast…" To observed.

"Well, get in…we're going for this faraway galaxy right…" the Koopa showed the sisters a universal map, "…here."

"Ooh, neat!" the sisters chimed in unison.

The Toads excitedly buckled in, and squealed as the teleport-tram zoomed off.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 4****th**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

The brothers appeared on the teleportation pad and rushed to the clue box.

"It looks like the other three teams are long gone…crap…this is not good at all." Hamma cursed. "Well, don't just stand there; open it!"

"I am!" Flare snapped. "'Roadblock. Who will steer this team to the end?' Oh, that's so you."

"Fine…what do I gotta do…" Hamma read the folder over. "A driving test? Psh…that'll be easy."

Without a second thought, Hamma headed up the steps to the platform.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Workers- Currently in 5****th**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"It's a Roadblock." Shimi announced. "Who filled deer to bending?"

"…What?" Waitress looked at the card. "…'Who will steer this team to the end.' It's your turn to do a Roadblock, so you go ahead."

"Me? Okay." Shimi shrugged.

The Cheep-Cheep flopped up to the lift-off stand.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in Last (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"This one is all you, Zessy." Toadsworth said confidently. "Make me proud."

"I'll try, Worthsy…" Zess assured. "We're in last; I've gotta get us out of here…"

Her hair flopping up and down, the Toad jogged up to the UFOs.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 3****rd**** (Astro Avenue, Eternal-Earth Bridge)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Apple berry strudel!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Back onto the track of tastiness!)"

The two Smorg tackled the clue box, knocked it over, and caused the envelopes to spill out. As they landed, a clue envelope got stuck onto both of them.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Northern light bulbs, hear me tingle!)" Smorgo shrieked.

Bouncing towards a lamppost, Smorgo sped up and rammed it, only to be deflected off, into Smorga, and back into the UFO.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Thatch the roof with berry jam!)"

-----

**Hamma (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"No. You are not maneuvering the UFO correctly," the robot berated. "You must keep your hands pressed down on the screen to make that type of turn."

"…Okay. For one thing, my hands were pressed down. For another…shut up! Your voice is getting really irritating!" Hamma said irately, rubbing his eyes.

"How dare you. My voice may be never changing, but my emotions are not. I have an emotion chip programmed into my system to make me more lifelike."

"Psh. Maybe you shoulda gotten a voice chip, then…" Hamma grumbled.

The robot started to fume.

**Shimi (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"Okay…I think I bought the hanger of this!" Shimi exclaimed. "This is petty buns!"

"You are a very…special fish, yes?"

**Zess (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"Oh, stew!" Zess cried. "I need to flip the switch, don't I?!"

"Please do so."

Quickly reaching over, the chef moved one of the switches on the board, stopping the UFO from crashing into the boundary of the course.

"Phew…that was close…but I just don't understand why I can't get the gist of this…what is so difficult about it?" Zess questioned. "Maybe old ladies can't drive or something…no, that can't be it…"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Teleport-Tram, en route to System Seclusion)**

"Remember…you just set the time bombs and push them into the vicinity of the star…you don't go up to the star and place it." The Paratroopa continued. "Once you get back in here, you can watch the explosion from the safety of the tram."

The friends looked at each other.

"Uh…out of the way, right?" King inquired.

"Is this tram even fast enough to move away? I mean, explosions are usually pretty big, especially if it's a chain reaction." Andy pointed out.

"Well, you've got that right. You see, these explosions are only meant to break up stars, though. Their power has virtually no effect on the material that this baby is made of…" the Paratroopa took a hand off of the wheel to pat the dashboard. "However, we're not about to let you get exposed to the particles in their prime form, since we're not exactly sure what effect they might have on…well, you get the idea."

"Makes me feel much better…" King chuckled, causing Andy to burst out laughing.

"Yeah. I think we're on the crazy train to radiation exposure…"

**To & Too: Sisters (Teleport-Tram, en route to System Seclusion)**

"Do you think that King K. and Andy are still ahead of us?" asked Too.

"I'm pretty sure that there was a vehicle missing when we got into that building…" To recalled. "And anyways, wasn't that their marked UFO in the parking lot?"

"Could've been someone else's UFO." Too reasoned.

"I guess."

"Ladies…"

Pausing their conversation, the Toads looked over to the driving Koopa.

"We're about halfway to the area where we need to be, so I'll start explaining the safety and instructional part of this ride, alright? Listen carefully, though…this task isn't meant to be taken lightly…"

-----

**Shimi (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

Expecting to be finished, the Excess Express chef parked the UFO into the space that his vehicle had previously taken.

"Okay, I'm done!" Shimi announced. "Er…it marked a bit loppy-sided, but…"

"No matter. You must circle around the course again, without my assistance." The android explained. "Proceed."

"…What?! I gotta do it bargain?" Shimi asked disappointedly. "Aw, come on…"

"That block of the road was just so card and difficult! It was bard enough doing it once with just some peaking explanations, but alone with no ride…I didn't stink I could do it…" Shimi stated.

**Flare / Waitress / Toadsworth (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"Well, it looks like he's going off for another round on the driving course…" Waitress sighed. "I thought for sure that he'd be cleared; his drive was virtually perfect."

"At least one of us can say that…" Toadsworth sweatdropped. "I wonder why Zess is driving so…strangely."

"ARGH! HAMMA, YOU DOLT! WHAT'S UP WITH YOUR STUPIDITY? THIS ISN'T CRAZY TAXI, AND YOU'RE NOT FERRYING PEOPLE TO THEIR DEATHS FOR CHANGE!"

**Hamma (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"SHUT UP, FLARE!"

**Zess (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"This is the right one, right?" Zess asked. Upon seeing her instructor nod, she exhaled loudly. "This is taking entirely too long…I wonder why Toadsworth chose me for this…oh, dear…"

"Eyes on the road. Watch out."

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Detonaboratory, Teleport-Tram Garage)**

"Okay…does anyone here know if these things are here for the race?" the Dry Bones asked confusedly, his hands bouncing around as he scratched his head.

"Well, one of them has the travel pack…um…is…wearing it?" a Paragoomba pointed out. "They probably are…"

"Eh…I doubt it. How could armless things like those make it this far? Besides…they look stupid," remarked one of the nearby Shy Guys. The Paragoomba glared at him angrily.

"Whatever…I might as well. In you go."

Kicking the two Smorg into his teleport-tram, the Dry Bones found himself in a bind as his boots became stuck to the two things.

"ACK! WHAT THE—"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (System Seclusion)**

"Okay…we're here," the Paratroopa announced. "You two ready?"

"Just about…"

King assisted in pushing Andy's helmet off his head before giving a thumbs up.

"…Remind me again why I can't have a safety helmet?" Andy pleaded.

"…We've been over this already. There's no need for you to be wearing an oxygen helmet; this dying system has enough for you. Besides, those helmets are sound resistant, and you'll be safe from the big bang inside here, since this material also muffles noise. And you wouldn't exactly want to be deaf to your partner, would you? They're more like safety hazards in this type of venture."

"All sharp points, dawg. Come on!" King grabbed his partner, who grabbed the five small time bombs, and pulled him out through the door. Instantly, the two felt themselves vacuumed towards the gravity of the large star.

"…They're just trying to make this as awkward as possible, aren't they?" Andy voiced.

Like quite a few unanimated things in the Shroomverse, it appeared that all of the nearby stars in the star system had faces. Unfortunately, since the system was quite old and dying, each face appeared quite wrinkled and sad; the eyes of their star sympathized with Andy and King, causing them to gulp.

"Let's just get this over…this is creepin' me out…" King murmured nervously, setting the first time bomb to go off after a small number of minutes. He then pushed it towards the star; it floated until it lightly bounced off, and started to head back in its original direction.

"We can push that one back over when we circle back around. Come on, we need to set the others, but don't push them so hard." Andy advised. "Geez…I'm too tired to be doing this…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 4****th**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"I got it, right?" Shimi asked profusely, pleading with his eyes.

"Indeed. You seem to have mastered it quite effectively," the android responded, handing over the envelope.

"YES!"

As the robot walked away to another part of Area 3, Shimi bounded down the steps to Waitress.

"Shimi, you did it! Awesome!" Waitress congratulated. "Here, let me open that…"

Toadsworth curiously leaned in as the purple-haired Toad girl opened the clue.

"Oh, here, Toadsworth, you can look…" Waitress stated, before turning back to her partner. "Well, I hope you actually passed, and didn't bribe that bot…or else I might not want to ride with you…"

"Hey! I did it fair and square!" Shimi replied.

"Just kidding, just kidding…"

Flare took note as both co-workers headed up to the platform, and Shimi drove the UFO off.

"I gotta ride in the same UFO as my bro?!" Flare asked incredulously. "NO WAY!"

**Hamma (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"SHUT UP, FLARE!"

**Flare / Toadsworth (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

"…I hope that Zess can find her mastery of this UFO driving, or we might be in for some trouble…" Toadsworth mused to himself. "She doesn't look all too good out there…"

"OUR GRANDMA COULD DRIVE A UFO BETTER THAN YOU, AND SHE'S MORE DOWN TO EARTH!"

**Hamma (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"SHUT UP, FLARE!"

**Zess (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"Oh my!" Zess careened her hands over the touch screen, narrowly keeping the UFO from crashing into an obstacle. "Whew…"

Simply sitting in the seat next to her, the robot made several marks on the clipboard it was holding.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (System Seclusion)**

"Look…I think that's another ship off in the distance." To pointed, and squinted her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that those two figures over there moving around are the Glitz Pit Guys…"

"Are you sure that when their star explodes, we'll be safe?" Too asked nervously.

"Positive. We're too far away for the blast to catch you two, anyways. At best, their explosion will probably only reach as far as that other neighboring star; the time bombs are made to only explode what they are surrounding, since they form a matrix when time runs out."

"…They attach? Oh, that is so awesome!" the girls squealed.

"That's totally just like how motion-sensor bombs—"

"—form this totally cool grid of straight lines!"

The Koopa just gawked as the giggling Toads floated outside with their bombs in hand.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (System Seclusion)**

"Okay…just one more to set…" Andy quickly moved the time dial, set the number of bombs that were to be exploded in unison, and pushed the button, triggering the countdown on the final bomb.

"Alright! We just gotta rearrange that last one, and we'll be explode-safe!" King said, swimming through space in the direction of the teleport-tram.

It took more than several seconds for the two to cover the distance, but they made it back to the tram, where the bomb was sitting. They pushed it lightly towards the star, and just in time, as its timer went off. The two ends on the bomb glowed as they searched for partnering bombs; as the following bomb's timer ran down, one of the lights shot to the second bomb and attached.

"This is gonna be one sweet bang…" King stated, but stopped smiling upon looking at the star's mournful old face. "…I think I wanna retreat now…"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Teleport-Tram, en route to System Seclusion)**

"I'm not going to bother giving instructions…I don't think they can understand me…" cackled the Dry Bones. "…I'm probably just wasting star fuel…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Maul the nonbeliever!)"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue Streets)**

While Shimi piloted the UFO at a rather steady pace, Waitress continued to direct him with the map, but once in a while broke off to gaze out at the surrounding buildings.

"According to this, it's not too much farther until we get to the Eternal-Earth Bridge." Waitress informed.

"That's good…I wonder if there will be worlds on top of the bludgeon." Shimi remarked.

"…Bludgeon?" Waitress repeated.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (System Seclusion)**

Watching from the safety of their teleport-tram, the two best friends jumped slightly as their star exploded, releasing various lights and showers of particles in a fantastic array of colors and shapes. Strangely enough, a superimposed smiley face could be seen spinning around in the midst of the brilliantly colorful explosion.

"…Wicked…" King said breathlessly.

"What's that face doing right there…it looks like that of the star…" Andy pointed out.

"It is," responded the Paratroopa. "You see, whenever you explode a star, you release all of the material that it gathered, so you don't really destroy it. Think of it as rebirth. It's neat, isn't it?"

Nodding, the two looked back out the window. As the Paratroopa started to drive the teleport-tram back towards familiarity, they both caught a glimpse of a small star widely grinning in the midst of the light.

**To & Too: Sisters (System Seclusion)**

"It looks like they're already done…wow." Too gazed at the fireworks display. "I wonder if ours will be the same way…but I feel really bad about having to do this…"

"Yeah…maybe we should give it one more hug…" To suggested.

Murmuring soft words of encouragement, the sisters hugged the overloaded frowning star, much to the dismay of the Koopa driver.

"ACK! Will you two hurry it up and set the bombs! Hurry! Once the matrix develops, you can't get out from the boundaries!"

-----

**Flare / Toadsworth (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

Waiting anxiously for their partners to complete the course, the two continued to watch the two UFOs. Flare's voice had long since gotten tired, and he'd decided to stop yelling so that his brother could concentrate. Toadsworth on the other hand, just held his hands together apprehensively. Suddenly, one of the UFOs pulled onto the platform and parked. The lid flipped up to reveal…

"Splendid work!"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in 5****th**** (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

As Flare slapped his forehead, Toadsworth hurried up the steps to greet his partner.

"Wonderful job, Zess! You finally made it around, correct?" Toadsworth inquired.

"Yes, I did!" Zess nodded, displaying the clue envelope. "Let's see where we're going… 'The passed team member must now be the one to drive the team around for the duration of this leg. Now, proceed to the town of Astro Avenue and locate Eternal-Earth Bridge, where your next clue is.'"

Toadsworth nodded, having seen the information before. "Hopefully you can drive it without an instructor, because I won't know how to help you…especially not with all of those confusing buttons and switches."

The two elderly Toads hopped into the UFO, where Zess proceeded to drive it out of the lot, almost forgetting to move into an upper lane on the way.

"Ugh…why the heck is it taking Hamma so long…we're freaking out of this if he doesn't hurry it up…" Flare said, pulling his hair out in frustration.

**Hamma (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Course)**

"GARGH! This is so darn confusing!" Hamma shouted, slamming his fists down. This activated a short mini-boost in the speed that ended up causing the UFO to lurch into the wall of the course.

"…How…unprofessional." The robot remarked, causing the frustrated Hamma to yell out several obscenities.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Eternal-Earth Bridge)**

"Oh, wow…that's pretty neat." Waitress remarked.

Taking a moment to observe the lights on the water, the two then strolled over the bridge to the center, where the clue box stood.

"'Detour. "Star Burst" or "Star Dust." How do you treat the stars?'" Waitress read. "I'd think we'd be better off sprinkling the dust…do they even know how far away 950,000 star units is?"

"How far is it?" Shimi asked.

"TOO far." Waitress replied. "Come on; even though it's a big street, it's actually nearby."

Without a second thought, the Excess Express workers hurried back to their UFO.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (System Seclusion)**

Awestricken, the fascinated Traveling Sisters took pictures at astonishing speeds as they watched their star explode, all the while squealing with delight at the show of light and color.

"That is SO pretty! I can even see a small star in there!"

"Look at that formation of star dust right there!"

"Oh, wow! I never knew that that color of white existed!"

"How pretty!"

Shaking his head, the Koopa couldn't help but chuckle as he prepared the teleport-tram for the trip back to Astro Avenue.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (System Seclusion)**

This time, the Dry Bones made the wise decision of placing the two Smorg outside…or not, as his hands became stuck to their bodies.

"HEY! I NEED THOSE!"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Sprinkle little daisies, cry like a beetle!)" Smorgo shouted joyfully.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Maniacal elegy to the young ladies!)" Smorga chimed.

As the Smorg bobbed farther and farther out of the Dry Bones' reach, they started randomly setting the time bombs somehow, using some replacement force other than their lack of appendages.

"Wait, what're you doing?! NO! You're supposed to set them one at a time! No, stop! Stop!"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"Here we are…"

Once again stepping out of their UFO, the Excess Express workers walked down the sidewalk and into the blocked-off street, where a Flutter greeted them.

"We're here for the 'Star Dust' part of the Detour," explained Waitress. "I'm guessing we just prance about and sprinkle this star dust on the road?"

"Sounds pretty cheesy to me." Shimi said brightly.

The Flutter gave them both skeptic looks. "Um…well…basically, yes, you just spread the star dust in a thin layer on this large road. It needs to be spread evenly, so be careful about spreading it. These streets will absorb the dust, so you can't spill it or make it uneven, since that will cause some…problems…for drivers."

Looking at each other, the two shrugged.

"Alright hen, let's fret worms!" Shimi exclaimed. "I mean, let's fend words…erm—"

"I get the idea." Waitress stifled a laugh.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (System Seclusion)**

"NO! PLACE THEM AROUND THE STAR, NOT THE TELEPORT-TRAM, YOU IDIOTIC THINGS!"

Frantically scrambling about, the Dry Bones disassembled himself to take care of the bombs before they formed a matrix around his vehicle. His control over his body parts allowed him to individually maneuver each of the time bombs to their respective place around the star.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Falling fruit flies from the sky!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Underground dosey doe!)"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in 5****th**** (Astro Avenue, Eternal-Earth Bridge)**

"Marvelous…look at these wonderful colors! And so detailed…such beauty!" Toadsworth remarked.

"It certainly beats the graffiti that some slums in Rogueport call art, that's for sure." Zess snorted.

The two Toads took an envelope out of the box.

"It's a Detour…'"Star Burst" or "Star Dust." How do you treat the stars?'" Zess read. "We shouldn't waste any time trying to travel; it's best if we stick close to the city."

"Agreed. To the marked streets it is!"

Checking out the light show in the water one more time, the dating couple hurried back to their UFO and drove off to the location described to them in the clue.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Detonaboratory, Teleport-Tram Garage)**

After enjoying the speedy ride to and fro the faraway star system, it seemed that the friends were relieved to be back on reasonably level ground.

"And here…is your clue for correctly detonating the star," the Paratroopa smirked, handing over the familiar yellow and black envelope.

"Awesome! Thanks, dawg!" King said appreciatively. "'Drive yourselves to the Voidless Continuum Theater, and locate the arcade off of the lobby. Successfully compete in the Moon-Rock Movature by exceeding 25 feet to earn your next clue.'"

_Teams must now drive approximately 4 miles from both Detour points to this place—the Voidless Continuum Theater, famous for its usage of impossible figures, black holes, and various other optical illusions. Once here, teams will have to locate the cinema's arcade, and find its main gaming attraction, one of the more popular pastimes amongst calculative androids and creatures alike, the Moon-Rock Movature. Using an old-fashioned catapult, teams will have to drop moon rocks of various weights onto one end. This causes a chain reaction that should eventually result in the moving of a large moon rock at the very end of the effect. Once the team's boulder manages to roll past the 25-foot mark, they will receive their next clue. Generally speaking, this activity is more suitable for computerized beings—therefore, the outcome of this task for the teams may be in terms of luck and deduction rather than mathematical strength._

"…Sounds simple to me, I guess." Andy shrugged.

"You said it…this arcade game sounds sorta nerdy, though." King made a face.

Knowing that they didn't have any time to lose, the two hurried through the Detonaboratory, and eventually reached the parking lot once more. They hopped back into their UFO, and King drove it off in the direction that Andy instructed.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Prospect Lab, Area 3 Taxi Lift-Off Point)**

Panting heavily, the Hammer Brother awaited the results from his teacher.

"…It is probably a vital mistake I am making to be letting you go…but…leniency must be shown. You may proceed."

Breathing a small, inaudible word of thanks, Hamma opened up the top of the vehicle and called Flare over.

"It's about time…so, what do we have to do now?" Flare inquired.

"…We're going to some bridge in Astro Avenue. We gotta go; get in and take a look at the map."

Knowing full well the precarious situation they were in, the brothers rushed off without any more arguing.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (System Seclusion)**

"YOU TWO IDIOTS GET OUT OF THERE! THE BOMBS ARE ABOUT TO FORM THE LIGHT BARRIER MATRIX!" the Dry Bones frantically yelled. "IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN THE BLAST, WHO KNOWS WHAT'LL HAPPEN TO YOU?!"

Blankly staring at each other, the Smorg were floating in the vicinity of the first time bomb closest to the tram. They started jiggling around.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (For trees the microphones happy dance a lot!)" Smorgo sang.

Oblivious to the time bomb floating nearby, which was starting to beep faster and faster, the two Smorg continued to dance. Suddenly, the first bomb completed its countdown, and its ends started to glow.

"ACK! MOVE IT, YOU DODOS!"

The second bomb reached zero, and a line formed between the two.

"HURRY!"

Beeping, the third bomb ran out, and another line formed.

"ARGH! I'm so gonna regret this…" the Dry Bones murmured. He dispatched his own two legs and threw them out into space in hopes of saving the Smorg.

Bomb number four hit empty, and the next line was made.

"Almost there…" the Dry Bones gritted his fangs, concentrating on the faster movement of his appendages. "Come on…"

Suddenly, the final bomb's time reached zilch. Promptly, a line started to form between it and the other two surrounding bombs.

"GO!" the Dry Bones forced his legs to speed up.

The two bony legs were deflected off of the screen. The matrix was complete.

"NO!"

…KABOOOOOM!

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

Because of the separation of the streets, the Excess Express workers were unaware that another team had joined them in one of the nearby roads. Without hesitation, the two continued to work, spreading a fine layer of stardust on top of the shiny space road.

"Okay. I seriously feel ridiculous…it's like I'm a flower girl at a nonexistent wedding." Waitress muttered, prancing about as she threw the sparkly particles about the street. "At least it works well…"

"Really? I think my pray works feather!" Shimi called, throwing the glitter about using his fins.

Although their diligence was clearly being noted by the Flutter, the two had hardly covered one-tenth of the road.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"My…this is quite a big road…it's a wonder that people could actually make a living out of just sprinkling this dust about…" Zess stated.

"Yes, quite." Toadsworth agreed. "I wonder where our allies are right now…they must have taken that explosion task. I don't think I saw another UFO in the streets we passed by."

"A marked UFO, anyways…there were some patrolling about, Worthsy." Zess reminded.

Having just arrived, the two Toads appeared to be off to a decent start. However, their method most likely wouldn't allow them to cover very much ground very quickly—they were both on their knees, shaking the dust about like seeds into soil.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (System Seclusion)**

Blinking in disbelief, the Dry Bones closed the door.

"Oh, man…my boss is gonna KILL me!" he panicked. "…Not only that…but I got no legs! …Huh?"

In the center of the colorful explosion, the driver noticed two black discs emerging with two odd white sticks extending from their bodies.

"…What the…"

Astonished, the undead Koopa opened the door and allowed the Smorg inside.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…This is quite odd…I don't recall ever getting here. What the heck is going on?)" Smorgo questioned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (EHEHEHE! Pretty ponypuff princess!)" Smorga laughed.

Amazingly, the Smorg seemed unharmed—they'd even retrieved the Dry Bones' legs. However…the two were sparkling like glitter in all colors of the spectrum, a possible side effect from the explosion. However, the bony legs seemed unaffected.

"My legs! Oh, thank goodness…" came the sigh of relief from the driver. "Ugh…I might as well give you the clue when we get back…I don't have enough gas to try and find another star…besides, they only allotted one for each team…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Wait, this is space, isn't it? The place where you can get sucked into nothingness?! Let me out of this dang thing! I've got to fall into a black hole!)" Smorgo cried.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Mommy, when can we go home? I wanna play dollies!)" Smorga whined.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Detonaboratory, Teleport-Tram Garage)**

"Thank you so much!" To said gratefully.

"It was a really cool trip…"

"…And a really cool experience."

Once again, the Koopa was left scratching his head as the girls ran off through the corridors. Upon getting back outside, they decided to open their envelope.

"Let's see…" Too looked through the Route Info. "'Voidless Continuum Theater? Neat-o! That sounds pretty exciting!"

"Wait, what else does it say…are we doing an arcade game! I love those things!" To squealed.

Giggling hard like childish schoolgirls, the female Toads jumped back into their UFO and sped off.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Astro Avenue, Eternal-Earth Bridge)**

"I've got a feeling we're still in dead sixth…" Flare bitterly remarked.

Not even taking a second to look at the beautiful light diagram, the fighters strode over to the clue box and took out an envelope.

"'Detour. "Star Burst" or "Star Dust." How do you treat the stars?'" Hamma read. "Dude…we get to explode a star?! We gotta do that!"

Flare smirked. "Yeah…sounds like the other one could take forever…let's go!"

Although it seemed like the two glanced at the water, the brothers wasted no time in scurrying back to their UFO and driving off in the direction of the Detonaboratory.

"We knew we were in last. It was a struggle just to keep our cool…but at least since we were driving crazy, there weren't any worries about going under the speed limit…" Hamma joked.

-----

Much like the surrounding sister buildings, the Voidless Continuum Theater advertised itself with its outer space theme. A large sign hung above its doors with the building name and a large black hole design that appeared to suck it in. The outside of the entire structure was covered in a humongous wall mural that included the seemingly copyrighted design of planets, stars, and other celestial objects, but the main focal point was a black hole that was centered at the door.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Voidless Continuum Theater, Lobby)**

"Pretty sweet foyer…it's sorta on par with the Glitz Pit's lobby…" Andy mused thoughtfully. "These tiles and the dark wallpaper make me feel like I'm gonna fall into some unseen hole, though…"

"Same gut feel here, bro." King sweatdropped. "Looks like that there's our gamer's room…come on!"

The minor leaguers walked in through the entrance to the arcade, which was just as darkly decorated as the lobby. Several arcade platforms, grab machines, ticket dispensers, and various other typical arcade equipment was littered about. However, the far side of the room was set up with six different marked lanes, each with quite a few strangely-glowing rocks at them. A complicated set of random objects had been assorted in the manner of a cartoon chain reaction, which all led up to the main focus, a large moon rock balanced o/n a see saw. Several yards away was a small, glowing line n the lane.

"That's gotta be the Moon-Rock Movature game…" Andy pointed out. "Looks kinda…um…odd, though."

Walking over, the two tested the machine by placing a few moon rocks onto their end of the catapult, and pushed a button, causing the support below their end to drop, and the chain reaction to occur. It hit their moon boulder, and sent it an amazing distance of one yard.

"…Well…this might take a while…" King sighed.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"This is making forever…" Shimi complained. "Are you sure we faded the right toys?"

"No, not really…but then again, I'm never sure about anything…" Waitress responded. "Come on, though…it's not like we can switch. We've been at this for too long to risk it now."

"Right…"

Continuing their movement about the road, the two threw their stardust hurriedly while trying to make the layering even; of course, the combination wasn't exactly very simple to create. At this point, they had covered approximately one-sixth of the road in terms of the layer being even.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"I have a feeling that we may be extremely behind…can you sense it, Zess?" Toadsworth asked nervously. "I mean, it's like there is a certain vibe in the air…it's giving me the creeps."

"Sort of…" Zess shrugged. "Well, we're behind, that's for sure…we won't be catching up to the frontrunners any time soon. I just hope that maybe the brothers are still back at the Roadblock, stuck with driving that UFO or something…"

Still not clued in on the disadvantages of their covering method, the two continued to slowly shake a layer of star dust on the road while on their knees. They'd barely made four foot-long strips across the small section of the road.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Detonaboratory, Teleport-Tram Garage)**

"We're here for the Detour. This is the right place, right?" Hamma questioned.

"It is," stated a Shy Guy. "Here, I'll be the one to take you to the star."

"Awesome. You better go faster than all these others might've gone, though…" Flare threatened, clenching a fist.

Impassively, the Shy Guy shrugged. "Eh, whatever. You don't need to worry."

After buckling in, the brothers found out that they were with a potentially crazy driver as he sped off at a speed that was certain to get them to the explosion site in record time.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Yup…their UFO is here, and they're right there." Too pointed out.

"Great…at least we know that we have a shot." To said, taking a picture of the surrounding arcade.

The clicking noise alerted King K. to the girls' presence. He tapped his partner on the shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Hey…looks like we got company." King grinned. "Been havin' fun in the dust?"

"Oh, we didn't even realize it all too much…" To joked, causing everyone to laugh.

"So, is this a challenge of a challenge?" Too asked.

"Sort of…we're still trying to figure out the logistics of this. It seems that a certain weight of moon rocks on this end of the contraption makes the boulder on the other end move what we need it to, but we haven't found that certain number just yet." Andy explained.

Taking all of this in, the sisters looked at each other.

"Hmm…maybe we'll be lucky enough to get it right on the first few shots." To mused.

"Well, we've done several without any luck…there's not even really much of a trend…it seems to be based on luck, in a way…" Andy said disdainfully.

Attempting it, the sisters watched as a single slab of moon rock spawned a movement of about ten feet. However, after the reset, two pieces resulted in a lesser amount.

"…Maybe if we had a computer…"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 3****rd**** (Detonaboratory Entrance)**

"OUT WITH YA! AND TAKE YOUR STINKIN' CLUE, TOO!"

The Dry Bones angrily swatted the two sparkly Smorg out using a large broom, sending them sprawling into the street with a clue envelope.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…What the heck is this place…I can't get off the ground!)" Smorgo said irritably. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (…Ugh, dang…wait, why are you still here?)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (PWETTY COLORS! WHEEEE! OH, LOOK AT ALL THE PWETTY PWETTY STARS WAY UP HIGH!)" Smorga screeched, causing Smorgo to groan.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Maybe this has some answers…'The Amazing Race,' huh…never heard of it. Erm…what's this? 'Route Info?' …This is weird… 'Drive yourselves to the Voidless Continuum Theater, and locate the arcade off of the lobby. Successfully compete in the Moon-Rock Movature by exceeding 25 feet to earn your next clue.' Wait…what? Drive? With what?)"

Pulling along a squealing Smorga, Smorgo came upon the marked UFO. He/she/it realized that their picture was posted on the back.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Is this it? I have no clue how to drive this thing…oh wait, maybe that's a good thing…I can crash this baby into oblivion!)"

However, just as Smorgo was climbing in, a blissful Smorga shoved into the way.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Pretty buttons and flashy colors!)" Smorga cooed momentarily, before pressing them all in rapid succession.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (WAAAH!)"

Without warning, Smorga drove the UFO through several other cars before getting out of the parking lot with even more damage accumulated to the futuristic vehicle.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"How long have we been at this, I wonder…" Waitress mused. "My hands are getting so tired…"

"The layer is grieving, right?" Shimi asked.

"I think so…it looks even to me…" Waitress sighed. "But it took quite a while just to make that."

The employees had now covered one-fifth of their road.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"This is tiring just kneeling like this…my knees are so tired…" Zess murmured. "I just want to go to bed…my eyes want to close…"

"We must only endure for a while longer, Zessy…please, just keep on going." Toadsworth beseeched. "To think, we will be done in a while longer…"

"A long while…" Zess reminded.

Still continuing their spread, the dating couple had managed to only cover one-eighth of their street.

-----

**Andy & King / To & Too (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"There…maybe that'll do it."

"Maybe. Hopefully?"

The pair watched as their large amount of rocks transferred force through the reaction, which sent the moon boulder going…past the line, which glowed bright upon feeling the rock pass overhead.

"Awesome!"

Excitedly, the happy pair celebrated as they noticed a clue envelope emerge from a thin slot on the machine nearby the catapult.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1****st**** (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Yeah! That was pretty fun, and we got the clue!" Too exclaimed.

"I know! Come on, let's go!" To ushered.

As the elated sisters rushed out to the lobby, the best friends sighed.

"If only we'd gotten that lucky…" Andy muttered, looking over at the catapult. "…Man, I can't pull anything from that!"

In the theater's entrance, the Toad girls opened their clue.

"'Head into Theater 5, and depict the name of the pit stop from the looping movie shown on-screen. Once you have figured out the location, drive there.'" To read.

_Teams must now head into theater room number five, where this video is constantly being played and looped. Making use of the famous black hole effect, the movie has been modified to constantly flash a certain phrase in several different manners that all end in the letters and word fragments becoming sucked into the center of the screen. Once teams figure out the location, "Metallica Gardens," they will have to drive 7 miles to the next possible pit stop. This outer space greenhouse, full of blossoming flowers and flora known for their metallic coloring, could very well be the pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in may be eliminated._

"'Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated.'" To concluded.

"Theater number five…okay, I think I see it over there!" Too pointed.

Luckily, the ticket checker let the two girls into the hall of rooms—they wasted no time rushing inside.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (System Seclusion)**

"We're here, guys. Wake up!"

"Zzzz…huh…wha?"

"…Is it…time to get up already…"

Rubbing their eyes, the brothers groggily looked out the window.

"…Whoa…wait a minute…" Hamma stood up. "Is that the star we're supposed to blast?"

"Dude…what's with that frown? That'll just make it all the much more…immoral." Flare moaned.

"No, it won't…you'll see…just get to it," the Shy Guy assured. "Just don't look at it."

"Easy for you to say." Hamma rolled his eyes.

"…I'll have you know, I do have eyes under here…I'm piercing you with a menacing glare."

"Whatever…" Flare snorted, floating out into space with a couple of time bombs under his arm. Hamma then followed, laughing at the driver.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 2****nd**** (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Okay then…theater number five…I wonder if the girls are still there." Andy mused, yawning.

"Ain't been enough time to do no thinkin' yet, dawg. We still got a chance to net 'em; just you wait." King smirked.

Having completed the arcade game, the best friends momentarily searched around before ducking into the fifth room.

**To & Too / Andy & King (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

Quietly sneaking over, the best friends spooked the sisters by suddenly placing their hands on their shoulders.

"EEK! …Oh, don't do that!" To scolded. "Great…now I lost my train of thought…thanks a lot, you bandit…"

"That's meh job…" Andy smirked tiredly. "So…any clues as to where we're going?"

"Sorry, but this is a race to the pit stop…we can't exactly disclose that kind of thing, now can we?" Too giggled. "Besides…you'll probably figure it out before us…"

"True dat." King said amusedly.

The group looked at the screen, which was almost pure black. Gray shadows continually darted across the screen while white dashes appeared to be getting sucked into the very center.

"This doesn't make much sense…those shadows don't seem to look like letters, do they?" Andy observed.

"Nope…if I didn't know better, I'd think they'd be spellin' out some alphas." King responded.

"…Spelling out letters? Really?" To tilted her head to the side. "I'm not really sure…I can't see it."

"Eh…I don't, either." Andy said apologetically.

"…Nada." Too shrugged.

"…Well, tryin' never hurt nobody…" King said, yawning.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, we got here…somehow…without being injured…darn. Thanks a lot, what's-your-face…)" Smorgo pouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I WANT A CINNAMON ROLL!)" Smorga shouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (This thing told us to come here…we're not getting you a cinnamon roll. Besides…this 'Amazing Race' thing sounds kinda interesting…)" Smorga mused.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I WANT A CINNAMON ROLL!)" Smorga screeched.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (UGH! Who the heck are you, anyway! I'm not wasting any darn money on any darn cinnamon roll! …Although they are kinda…hey, look! That counter over there sells…cinna-stars?)"

Shrugging, Smorgo zipped over to the food stand and bought a cinna-star for Smorga, who gladly accepted it upon his/her/its return.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay…how does this thing work…maybe I'll drop one of those strange rocks on myself if we lose this thing…)" Smorgo muttered, lifting a moon rock onto the catapult.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (System Seclusion)**

"Okay…do you have that one set? Place it here." Hamma directed.

"Fine…that's the last one in your hands, right?" Flare deduced.

"Sure is. Come on; we need to set this and catch up!"

Swimming frantically through space, the Hammer and Fire Bros. drifted in the direction of where their last bomb needed to be placed.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

Still standing, the very sleepy co-workers continued their plight of spreading stardust.

"I don't like this…the layer is even, but it's taking us just so long to finish!" Waitress said, yawning aloud. "Shimi, do you think we should start going for spreading haphazardly and even it out later?"

"…Maybe…it compounds like it could fork." Shimi agreed. "We might as well…"

Nodding to each other, the two started throwing the dust about the streets, not bothering to take the time and make the coating even.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"Oh my gosh…" Zess moaned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "We won't be finishing this darn task until morning…who knows when that'll be…"

Toadsworth managed a chuckle. "Sleepy, but still able to make jokes, aren't we?"

"Only for you, Worthsy…" Zess smiled weakly, rolling her eyes.

"We have to overcome this obstacle…I estimate that we should be able to finish in about…erm…" Toadsworth sighed.

"Right…"

Going about the tedious task of spreading the stardust, the Toads continued to scatter the particles on their knees, which caused Zess to occasionally doze off on the ground.

-----

**To & Too / Andy & King (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

"Okay…I think I got it…"

"Really? Cool…"

"They got it?"

"Oh, great…"

One of the teams left the other yet again, thinking that they'd figured out the answer. Once out of earshot and outside the theater, the team started to converse.

"It looks like the location is at some place called 'Metallic Gardens.'" To announced. "There were a few extra letters and stuff, but I think it might just be part of the confusing puzzle."

"Alright…it sounds good to me." Too shrugged.

Getting back into their UFO, the sisters scanned the map.

"You said 'Metallic Gardens,' right?" Too asked after a moment of searching.

"Um…yeah." To nodded.

"Well, I found something here…it's spelled 'Metallica Gardens,' though." Too pointed out.

"That's probably it," To realized. "Come on, I think we're in the lead!"

The possibility of winning the leg dawning on them, To started blabbing out directions while Too steered the vehicle out of the theater's lot and into the streets, narrowly cutting a corner on the way.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

"It looks mighty hard to tell…but dawg, I think I came up with our solute." King said quietly. "Appears to be sayin' somethin' like 'Metallica Gardens' on the vortex symbols."

"Hmm…I guess it could work." Andy responded. "Nice…well, we better go check it out."

Hurrying out of the theater, King drove the UFO away in hopes of catching up with the lead team.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I WANT ANOTHER SUGARY PWETTY CINNAMON STARRY!)" Smorga demanded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (What?! Another?! B-But, we're slowly running out of money, you brat!)" Smorgo cried.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (PWETTY CINNAMON STARRY!)" Smorga screamed loudly, shattering a window in the distance.

Groaning in frustration, Smorgo went back to the counter to buy Smorga his/her/its fifth cinna-star.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ugh…at this rate, I'll never be able to beat that game with such a dummy pestering me! I might as well buy several at one time to keep that annoyance busy eating…)" Smorgo decided.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (System Seclusion)**

"Looks like it's starting…" Hamma yawned. "Do we have to watch?"

"Well…yeah," said the Shy Guy. "It's a neat reaction, in my opinion…besides, it'll wake you up and keep you awake for a while."

"Whatever…" Flare put his head on his hand lamely.

The trio watched as the lines were drawn between the bombs, and the explosion was triggered. However, even when the colors were thrown out in their dazzling splendor, the brothers didn't even seem fazed.

"…Fireworks and a light show?" Flare groaned. "Okay. That's just stupid. We came here for this? I thought there would be fire and ashes or something…"

"Yeah…this is just hurting my eyes…makes me wanna have a seizure." Hamma replied.

Shaking his head, the Shy Guy turned the teleport-tram around and drove it off.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"This is going a whole lot faster…keep at it, and we can probably get outta here." Waitress yawned.

"How much more?" Shimi asked sleepily.

"Just a bit…more…keep on sprinkling…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"Oh dear…this isn't working for me…" Zess said, standing up. She continued steadily spreading the dust while on her feet, but was noticeably swaying back and forth.

"We have to keep on going. We can't risk changing to the other Detour now…" Toadsworth reminded.

"Yes, I know…but this is so tedious and time-consuming…my eyes can't stay open forever…"

-----

Located on the outskirts of the outer space settlement, Metallica Gardens seemed to bask in the glow of the sun. Its shiny, silvery flowers and vegetation all reflected the light, creating a dazzling display of lights in the air that could have rivaled the star explosion for the Detour. In the midst of the shimmering forest was a circular brick clearing that hosted the famous pit stop mat, as well as the actual host, Miles, and a helmet-wearing Goomba that stood beside him.

**Team ? (Metallica Gardens, Front Gates)**

"We'd like two tickets, please!"

After purchasing their passes to gain access to the park, the team rushed in and followed the flags posted on trees here and there in hopes of making first. Within no time, they caught sight of the mat, and jumped on.

"Welcome to Metallica Gardens of Astro Avenue," welcomed the Goomba.

"Thank you," chimed the two back in unison.

"To and Too." Miles grinned. "You…are team number one!"

**To & Too: Sisters- 1****st**** Place, 5:32 A.M.**

"FIRST PLACE, WHOO!"

"HOORAY!"

Despite their sleepiness, the tired sisters managed to show enough joy to almost yell their lungs out. They hugged each other tightly before releasing and turning back to the Yoshi as he continued.

"I have some more good news for you," Miles informed. "As the winners for this ninth leg of the race, you have both won something that can be quite helpful for your travels…two identical space-racers, with the latest in designs and fuel technology. They can go virtually anywhere at cruising speeds, high velocities, a slow crawl; whatever suits you best. Of course, you'll have to wait until after the race before you can enjoy 'em…"

"Space-racers?! That sounds so cool! Are they like the UFOs we've been in?" Too inquired.

"Better. They're pretty roomy, and if I recall, you two received that vacation back in the Harborside Cabana region…" Miles hinted. "Think these will make a good transport?"

"Of course!" To clapped happily.

"Survived again while we're sluggish!" Too declared.

"Winning our second leg felt great…even though we were tired from racing for a couple of hours, it was astounding how we managed to rebound and come in first!" To exclaimed.

**Team ? (Metallica Gardens, Front Gates)**

A second team rushed from the entrance gates into the jungle of metallic plants, having purchased the required slips to get in. After following the flag markers, they reached the clearing.

"Dawg, here we go!"

"You just had to pick a spot so far back, didn't you?"

"Welcome to Metallica Gardens of Astro Avenue," remarked the Goomba.

"Andy and King…" Miles chuckled quietly, noting that the former was yawning like crazy. "You're team number two."

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 2****nd**** Place, 5:38 A.M.**

"Not too shabby…we can deal after our top-spin last leg." King said acceptingly. "Top half's what we aim for."

"Yup…and we made it in…now can we go find a bed?" Andy yawned again.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 3****rd**** (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

A relieved Smorgo sighed as the clue envelope came out of the slot from the machine.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay. That took way too long…in the period of time it took me to do that alone, I could've died and been revived like, fifty gazillion times.)" Smorgo muttered, reading the Route Info and scrutinizing the small print.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Can we buy ice cream?)" Smorga begged.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Ugh. Not now, you! Don't you seem to understand that we're in the middle of a competition? …Thing is, I haven't seen any other 'competitors' all day…maybe we're being set up…)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (B-B-B-But I w-want ice c-cream!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay, okay! Quit with that stupid puppy-dog face! Geez, that is so annoying!)"

Reluctantly, Smorgo purchased a large ice cream cone from the vendor for the childlike Smorga before dragging his/her/its partner into theater number five.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Not a puzzle…I'm not good at these things…but it looks like…a black hole? How'd that get in here?)" Smorga asked quizzically.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"Even it out! Hurry; I want to get to the pit stop!" Waitress exclaimed, frantically spreading stardust about uncovered places.

"I'm stevening, I'm deevening!" Shimi responded wildly.

Now crazy from lack of sleep and the thought of possibly being eliminated, the normally detailed Excess Express workers were scurrying about, throwing stardust all about. The supervising Flutter shook her head sympathetically as she politely covered her mouth when she yawned.

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"I cannot believe how unbelievably long this is taking…" Zess said, rubbing her eyes. "We've been at this for what seems like an eternity…"

"Zessy, if you must…" Toadsworth sighed. "You could take a short nap and let me handle this, you know."

"No, never…leaving you here alone to do it would guarantee certain elimination." Zess argued.

"…Alright…shall we continue? We are nearly done…just a few minor details to work out." Toadsworth pointed.

"On it…" Zess said, yawning once more.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 4****th**** (Detonaboratory, Teleport-Tram Garage)**

"Cool…thanks, dude."

As they strolled the halls of the explosives lab on their way out to the parking lot, the brothers opened their clue envelope.

"'Drive yourselves to the Voidless Continuum Theater, and locate the arcade off of the lobby. Successfully compete in the Moon-Rock Movature by exceeding 25 feet to earn your next clue.'" Hamma read. "Oh, great…there's still more before we can rest…can't we just cut to the chase and go to the pit stop already?"

"I guess not…" Flare responded. "Just have to keep chuggin'…"

Groggily, the brothers stumbled outside to their marked UFO, climbed in, and drove off.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay…I still don't get this stupid puzzle…am I supposed to include those letters in the answer or not? Argh…)" Smorgo groaned in frustration as an elated Smorga continued munching on popcorn.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (I like butter and salt!)" Smorga said, chewing loudly (if that's possible with lack of an unseen mouth).

"SMORGSMORG (Stop that!)" Smorgo reprimanded, grabbing away the box.

It took a few seconds for a reaction to occur…

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Alright, alright! Stop THAT! Here's your stupid popcorn back already! Sheesh…)"

Smorga continued to happily eat popcorn while Smorgo banged his/her/its head against the seat in front in annoyance.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Okay…this seems like a really pointless task…just putting rocks on a piece of wood…" Flare muttered.

"It's too boring…I wouldn't want to play this as an arcade game even if it killed me…" Hamma stated.

When the Hammer Brother accidentally dropped one of the bigger, heavier stones on his foot, he made a face.

"Ow…" Hamma yawned.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

Exhausted, the two rushed over to the Flutter.

"Are we done?" Shimi asked pleadingly. "Please tell us we're done…"

"Sorry, but no. There are still unfilled spots. If a high-height vehicle drives over an area with no stardust, their vehicle will immediately stall…and that could be bad," explained the Flutter. "If you fill in the spots over there, there, there, there, there, there, and there, then you could probably be done."

"Ugh…" Waitress groaned. "I just wanna get out of here…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"This is just so time-consuming…I don't know why we had to choose this task…" Zess sighed.

"We're almost done…just a few more yards…"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay, it looks like the screen is spelling out 'Metal Lic Gardens.' Hopefully it's right…I want to see what this pit stop business is all about…)" Smorgo murmured.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We're out of popcorn! I want some more, and some taffy!)" ordered Smorga.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (…I'm not even gonna bother…I just wanna be sucked into that black hole…)" Smorgo mumbled.

Grumbling, Smorgo bought another large popcorn, some taffy, some jerky, some candy, some pickles, and some hot dogs just to keep Smorga busy en route to the next destination.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

Too involved with their task of playing the game, the brothers didn't look behind them to see the Smorg leave with a heap of food piled up.

"What kind of nerdy puzzle is this…it's stupid…" Flare remarked. "Putting rocks on some raised platform to make some other rock move…how dumb can you get?"

"Seriously, I know…it's retarded…I wonder how dad can even stand working in the business industry…" Hamma replied.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

The elderly couple continued the tiresome task of spreading the stardust, concentrating instead of talking.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"Okay, are we done now?" Waitress asked drowsily.

"Hmm…let's see…" the Flutter flew up into the air and quickly scanned the street before landing. "You've done it. Come on over!"

As the two workers strode over, the Flutter threw a shimmering Starman high up into the air. Upon this signal, the gates at both ends of the road seemed to disappear, and all of a sudden, a flood of differently colored vehicles poured in.

"Whoa…look at all these cars and stuff…looks like a charade." Shimi remarked.

"A 'parade?'" Waitress raised an eyebrow.

"No, I meant a…" Shimi trailed off. "…Oh, poo."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 5****th**** (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

As the large stream of cars, taxis, and UFOs died down, the Flutter handed an envelope to the employees.

"Great…we need to go to some place called the Voidless Continuum Theater…I thought for sure we'd be going to the pit stop now…" Waitress complained, holding her head in her hands. "My eyes are just so heavy…I'm glad you're the one who's driving…"

"I'm not…" Shimi quipped.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Oh, come on…you've gotta be kidding me!" Hamma stomped the ground. "For the umpteenth time, why aren't we freakin' gettin' that dumb boulder past the line?!"

Flare threw a few rocks down on the catapult and pressed the reaction starter. Surprisingly, the boulders processed through the cycle and pushed the large stone over twenty-five feet.

"…Cool…" Flare muttered. "Whaddya know…I got it to work."

"Shut up."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 4****th**** (Voidless Continuum Theater, Lobby)**

After reading the clue, the two fighters quickly rushed through the lobby and to the hall of theaters, where they ducked inside the fifth room.

"It's so dark in here, I just want to go to sleep…"

-----

**Team ? (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

"Welcome to Metallica Gardens of Astro Avenue," said the helmet-wearing Goomba softly.

The two Smorg stared back at him.

"Uh…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (These plants look awfully sharp…if we're 'eliminated,' maybe I should start seeing if they're as sharp as I want them to be…)" Smorgo mused.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (SHINY FLOWERY PRETTY-PRETTIES!)" Smorga squealed.

"Er-hem."

Just as Smorga was about to run off, Smorgo grabbed him/her/it and kept him/her/it from squirming off of the mat.

"Smorgo and Smorga…" Miles paused for several seconds, breathing in and out steadily. "…You are the third team to arrive."

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Does that mean we win?)" Smorgo queried.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (KWEEEEEE! SHINY SPARKLY FLOWERS!)" Smorga squealed.

"However…early in the leg, you took a duplicate clue from a clue box…again." Miles sweatdropped. "So…I'll have to assess you a thirty-minute penalty before I can check you in. If you could, please step over there…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (What?! A duplicate clue from…I don't even remember doing that!)" Smorgo argued.

"SMORGSMORG (GLITTERYSPARKLYSHINYLUSTERFULCOLORFULSILVERYFLOWERS!)" Smorga screamed.

Dumbfounded, Smorgo watched as an ecstatic Smorga started frolicking about, looking at all of the shiny, metallic flowers.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"We're nearly done…I really hope we can get this…" Toadsworth muttered, sprinkling more stardust at a faster pace than before. "We spent so much time worrying about quality rather than quantity…"

"Reversed the saying…" Zess yawned. "Oh dear…my sleep schedule is not used to this…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Oh, great…there are only two trains left…" Shimi observed. "I wonder who is still in last?"

"I hope it's the Ham-bros…" Waitress murmured. "I'd hate to have to see Zessworth go…I just hope they left Future Dream first."

"I'm sure they did…" Shimi reassured.

The two set to work lifting rocks onto the catapult, but when they pressed the button, their boulder hardly moved an inch.

"What the…" Waitress face fell.

"…This is an awfully weird blame…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

"I don't get this at all…my brain has been on overdrive for the past few weeks…this is torture." Flare muttered, his eyes drooping.

"Well, it's not like we can just get out of here without figuring it out…" Hamma reasoned. "Come on…I think it's something about a garden…with those letters I put together at the end…um…"

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"There's just a little bit more…please, don't let us be last…" Zess begged to the sun. "This hurts my eyes…"

"Zessy, quickly! We must cover that uncovered section!"

-----

**Team ? (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

Miles patiently looked at his watch, and then looked over at the path that led to the area in which he was standing. Sighing, he looked over at the Smorg—Smorgo was just sitting around, but Smorga seemed to be buzzing around the silver plants like a bee to its hive.

"…Smorgo and Smorga, I can…uh…check you in now." Miles said hesitantly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Well, what was the point of that…no one else came. I guess that's a good thing…)" Smorgo mumbled.

Smorgo chased down Smorga and pushed him/her/it back onto the mat.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I saw a butterfly!)" Smorga exclaimed.

"Smorgo and Smorga." Miles shook his head disbelievingly. "…You're team number three."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- 3****rd**** Place, 6:37 A.M.**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (That's cool, I guess…)" Smorgo shrugged.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Did you see the pretty butterfly? It had shimmery wings and pretty colors and long sticks on its head and—)"

A random metal branch fell from a tree and bonked both Smorgo and Smorga on the head.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

"Okay, I think I've got it…" Hamma showed Flare his calculations, to which the Fire Bro shrugged.

"Hey…I'm surprised you can even keep on going…I wasn't even paying attention." Flare rolled his eyes.

"Figures…"

Getting up from the comfortable chairs, the brothers stumbled out of the theater and ambled back to their marked UFO.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Okay…it looks like there's not even a trend in these numbers…this is really frustrating and annoying…" Waitress stated bluntly. "I'm too tired to deal with this…"

"Me, too…but we can't give up…there's grilled one team out fairs." Shimi encouraged.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"Okay…we're done, right?" Zess asked expectantly. "Please, please, please, please tell me we're finished with this…"

"Are we, my lad?" Toadsworth questioned.

The supervisor, a Paratroopa, shook his head. "Sorry, but no. You'll have to even out all of that right over there in that far side…there isn't enough. Although the part next to it has too much, if you even it out, it should work without problems."

"Oh, great…just terrific…" Zess muttered irately.

Toadsworth followed his stomping partner back to the pointed out area with a bucket full of stardust.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 5****th**** (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Alright…we're coming up to the pit stop…we just need to figure out a small puzzle. Come on!" Waitress urged.

The pair sleepily walked out of the arcade, through the lobby, into the hall, and into room number five.

"This is dizzying…I'm feeling paint…" Shimi uttered.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in Last (Astro Avenue, Marked Street)**

"Thank you so much…whew…"

Relieved to finally be done, the long-distance dating couple ripped open their envelope.

"We're still in this…" Toadsworth said quietly. "Now we must hurry to the Voidless Continuum Theater…and play an arcade game?"

"That should be easy…" Zess voiced, her statement clearly dripping with sarcasm.

Although the parade of flying cars had caught their eyes, the Toads quickly rushed back to their marked UFO and sped out of the street.

-----

**Team ? (Metallica Gardens, Front Gates)**

"Tickets, hurry! We can't waste any time!"

To the contrary of their previous statement, the team that entered the wilderness park sleepily walked the winding road down to the pit stop mat.

"Welcome to Metallica Gardens of Astro Avenue," said the Goomba.

"Hamma and Flare." Miles nodded slowly. "You're the fourth team to arrive…however, because of the Mismatch Rod's curse, you'll have to wait half an hour before I can check you in."

Upon hearing the bad news, the brothers shrugged and headed over to bask under the shade of a silver tree.

"Well, at least we tried…" Hamma said shortly before dozing off.

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Okay…how do we work this thing?" Zess asked frantically. "My! These…rocks are heavy…oof!"

"Let me assist." Toadsworth offered.

The two tired Toads started lifting the moon rocks up one by one onto the catapult, and went with their first test.

"Oh, for the love of all Shooting Stars! How does this many boulders make it move that much? That's nothing!" Zess whined.

"We must keep trying if we hope to stay in. I have a bad feeling about this…"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

"This makes no sense at all…I can't seem to figure out how the puzzle works…" Waitress murmured tiredly.

"Maybe if we skip every other letter in the sequence, the answer will be felled out…" Shimi suggested.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

Miles looked over at the snoozing brothers before taking a look at his watch.

"This is gonna be really close…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Voidless Continuum Theater, Room 5)**

"I think I got it…"

"Really?! Good; let's move!"

Tiptoeing out of the dark theater, the two drained friends prepared for their final rush in hopes of not being last at the pit stop. They noted another UFO being in the lot, but didn't bother looking at the picture to find out who it belonged to.

"Okay…now to find it on the map…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Currently in Last (Voidless Continuum Theater, Arcade)**

"Thank Star Haven, we're so lucky…" Toadsworth breathed, ripping open the last clue. "…There's still more…bad tidings…"

"What? …Oh, that's just perfect…" Zess groaned.

The dating Toads walked into the darkened theater number five and glanced at the screen. Although they were both sleepy, it only took a few moments of watching the entire message pass along the screen before they figured it out.

"Goodness, that's an easy puzzle…maybe we're still in this yet!" Toadsworth said hopefully.

"Alright then…we gotta go." Zess said, stumbling back out the door.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

"…There's still no one in sight…" Miles mused. "Time is almost up before I can check them in…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Astro Avenue, Streets)**

"Okay, we're coming up on it." Waitress announced. "Make a left on that next light, and we'll see it."

"I sure hope so…and I also cope we're not cast…"

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating (Astro Avenue, Streets)**

"It's so late…we can't afford to get lost now…there are hardly any people about…" Zess said worriedly.

"No worries, Zessy…it may appear that way, but because of there being not really any correlation between light and the time of day…" Toadsworth trailed off.

"Oh, right…it's like Mushroom City, except without a blue sky…" Zess remarked.

-----

**Team ? (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

It was clear that a sparkle of keenness still remained in the orange Yoshi's eyes despite the time. He peered at his watch once again, but looked up at the sound of more feet tapping against the pavement. A certain team was rushing to the pit stop…

"Welcome to Metallica Gardens of Astro Avenue," said the Goomba.

"Thank you…"

Miles gazed at the duo before smiling at them. "Shimi and Waitress…you are team number four."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 4****th**** Place, 7:25 A.M.**

"Oh, thank you…" Waitress said, latching onto the host for a hug. "You don't know how much we've been through…I feel like I'm going to collapse any minute if I don't find an actual bed…"

"I am quite retired, too…" Shimi added, causing the trio to look at him strangely.

The team then noticed the nearby Hamma and Flare.

"Whoever is in last place still has a chance…" Waitress realized. "It must be Zessworth…oh no…"

**Team ? (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

Waiting patiently, Miles and the Goomba watched as the next team came up to the pit stop to check in.

"…Welcome to Metallica Gardens of Astro Avenue," stated the Goomba.

The two partners nodded their heads slightly and looked intently at Miles through sleepy eyes.

"…Hamma and Flare." Miles confirmed with a huge nod, "You are team number five."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 5****th**** Place, 7:28 A.M.**

"Gosh, these penalties are gonna be the end of us soon…" Flare said disappointedly.

"Tch…we just had bad luck from last leg since we got stuck on that second rocket…least we're still in." Hamma said thankfully.

**Team ? (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

An exhausted Zess and Toadsworth solemnly walked hand-in-hand up to the mat and stepped on.

"Welcome to Metallica Gardens of Astro Avenue," welcomed the Goomba sadly.

"Thank you…it's our pleasure." Toadsworth informed.

"Indeed." Zess agreed sleepily.

"…Zess and Toadsworth." Miles smiled sorrowfully. "You're the last team to arrive."

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long-Distance Dating- Last Place, 7:31 A.M.**

"…We…figured that out…" Toadsworth stroked his moustache thoughtfully.

"…I'm…sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Miles apologized regretfully.

Unsure of what to do or what to say, the dating couple stood in silence for a few moments.

"Well…it isn't what we wanted…but…it is quite a good finishing spot." Toadsworth shrugged.

"Yeah…" a teary-eyed Zess blinked, shaking the hair from in front of her face.

"Of all the teams that originally entered the race, we were one of the most obscure—we're old, we originally had a blurry relationship, and we most certainly were the underdogs. But, with each passing leg, and as some teams fell, we discovered that we actually had a chance. We even managed to win a leg. That was one of our best points on the race." Zess recalled. "We old people have our limits, though…so it's acceptable that we weren't able to keep up with everyone, and we were the seventh team eliminated. In the long run, it's pretty good…and I'm glad that I was able to do this with such a good friend. Heh, I bet that that weird Mr. Squishy that Toadsy-worthsy is acquainted with hasn't done anything this special with someone he cares about! …And yes, I do care!"

"I could never sum up this remarkable experience in one word, one sentence, or one paragraph…it spoke so much to me, and I will hold it dearly always. Such an excursion executed with such a lovely partner has been all I could have ever dreamed for, and I am quite fortunate to have participated in such a life-changing run. We went through so much together, and it's only because of what we both had to offer that we made it so far into the race…" Toadsworth smiled warmly. "When I return to my normal life under her royal majesty, I will always remember this…these places…these challenges…these people…especially the alliance members we befriended, but most importantly…the Toad lady that I was able to bond so well with…"

"I suppose that now, Shim-stress and the Two-Tos are now the ones racing for us." Toadsworth murmured.

"And I'm sure that they'll be great…" Zess yawned. "Come now…we have got to rest…"

After saying their goodbyes, the satisfied long-distance dating couple quietly walked away from the shining garden circle, following the familiar race flags on their way out. They were still holding each other's hand, but they seemed to be walking closer together and in step with each other more than ever.

Above and below, the stars twinkled, sending their light at amazing speeds to unimaginable distances. The morning life of Astro Avenue continued as the lights continued to glow, the water continued to run, and people began to emerge from their nighttime slumber. In the midst of a race as amazing as one of its destinations, a questionable friendship had blossomed into a full-fledged romance.

-----

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_The final Yield comes up, and it isn't about to be wasted._

"It's time we got rid of our main competition…we choose to Yield…"

_An ordinary farm task becomes something of a horror for one of the team members._

"How come I can't get this right? It's not working!"

The other team members sitting around sighed.

"Sir, I think it's broken!"

_And a race to the pit stop ensues with more than just two teams involved._

"If we don't get there in time, we're sunk…" Andy remarked worriedly.

"Hold on, sis…things are about to get crazy…" Too squinted ahead and prepared to put the car into its highest speed.

"Please, come on! Go as blast as you plan!" Shimi urged.

-----

_Leg 9 Trivia:_

- In the first race, teams visited Astro Avenue in Leg 6. At the end of the leg, they were instructed to use rocket cars to drive themselves to the pit stop from the Twila Resort. In this leg, teams had to obtain a driver's license for hover cars as transport throughout the leg after initially using an air taxi to arrive at the instructional area. Not only are the three types of vehicles different (four, including rocket taxis used in TTYD1: Leg 6), but in the first season, prior to the race, teams had been instructed on how to utilize several different types of vehicles, some of which were not used at all. This time around, teams were just shown how to drive regular cars. (Yeah, a great excuse for making a way around a continuity error, I know…but it's possible, right? Ehehe…)

- Coincidentally, this leg's Roadblock was somewhat similar to that of Season 10's Leg 5, where teams had to take a driving test to earn an Indian driving license. However, in this case, the vehicle was a UFO.

- The vehicle used in this leg, the UFO, parodies on the fact that certain hovercrafts in certain games are very hard to control, and sensitive to turns.

- The driving pad in the UFO's steering unit is a nod to the D-pad of the Nintendo GameCube, the system for which Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was made. However, its controls are somewhat similar to that of a Nintendo DS touch screen.

- In this leg, a Smorg personality arc begins. The explosion from the "Star Burst" task seems to change the two. Aside from their sparkly bodies, Smorgo was changed to a self-sadistic being resembling the actions of Shy Guy from the now-defunct MKAR, while Smorga seemed to adapt the girly young child impression of a young female that the duo met in Leg 2.

- The Moon-Rock Movature game plays on how mathematical functions have values in equations that seem to randomly change the outcome, whether the variable goes up or down (didn't make much sense, did I? Right…moving on…).

- Astro Avenue is the first location to be visited twice on the race.

-----

Author's Note: Update on March 18, 2007.

Four more legs, everyone! That's right, four! Two more eliminations until the finale, and then we've got the winners of TTYD2!

In other news…it seems like only yesterday that I was so surprised that Zessworth was the most popular team wanted to be on this race…and now…they finished in a decent sixth place… Oh well…it's too bad—I like them a lot. But…now the ignored-by-mostly-just-the-teams-but-not-the-reviewers Smorg and the obnoxiously-arrogant-arguing Ham-bros. both have a chance at getting into the final three! And the previous alliance is now down to original members Shim-stress and the sisters who joined in a few legs ago! Seriously, who will be eliminated next?!


	12. Leg 10: A Moo Moves Here and There!

Author's Note: Update on 06/08/07.

Okay...I will admit that this leg was quite rushed towards the end. I wanted to be able to finish this leg before I left (see the end of chapter for details). Anyways, enjoy people! Happy reading!

Review Answers:

**SSBFreak**: Thanks so very much! Maybe if I work diligently, I can catch up onto you with my third race, too! . …And of course you can use the Mismatch Rod concept. I wouldn't bar it from anyone who wanted to use it; besides, I'd be curious of how you'd utilize it.

**Yoshi Hoshi**: If I've said it before, I'll say it again—I absolutely love how you pull all this stuff apart. But, TTYD1 did indeed go to Astro Avenue, so this is the second in the series to visit outer space. As for Zessworth's elimination, very cool way of getting at the details…I'm not sure if anybody noticed, but prior to the blast, most of the Smorg text was supposed to deal with food—perhaps a clue as to what to look out for this leg of the race? 

-----

Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

_Six teams of two headed from the top peak of DK Mountain over 2,000 miles to the realm of Future Dream, a scientific laboratory in space. The placing for each team from the previous leg set the tone for the charter rockets, splitting the playing field._

"…I wonder how the Smorg actually made this rocket?" Too questioned. "That's…amazing…"

"…There's no room left…I thought for sure that the Smorg might have messed up…" Zess fretted. "There's almost no way we can match the other two teams that are with us…"

"I sort of knew that we wouldn't make the first shuttle…oh well."

_A Roadblock with untrained participants proved to be easy for some…_

"Don't look too hard to me…" King mused.

_…but difficult for others._

"…I see that now…" Too replied, a bit shaken after nearly catapulting into the course wall.

"Phew…that was close…but I just don't understand why I can't get the gist of this…what is so difficult about it?" Zess questioned.

_Clearly, the late hours and thrown-off sleep schedule hindered most of the teams the most at the Detour and onward._

"Geez…I'm too tired to be doing this…"

"I just want to go to bed…my eyes want to close…"

"My hands are getting so tired…"

_To and Too pulled ahead of best friends Andy and King at the second-to-last task and managed to claim first._

"You…are team number one!"

Despite their sleepiness, the tired sisters managed to show enough joy to almost yell their lungs out. They hugged each other tightly before releasing and turning back to the Yoshi as he continued.

_For two other teams, things were much more complicated. Smorgo and Smorga once again took a duplicate clue from a clue box…_

"However…early in the leg, you took a duplicate clue from a clue box…again." Miles sweatdropped. "So…I'll have to assess you a thirty-minute penalty before I can check you in. If you could, please step over there…"

_…and Hamma and Flare's early race decision once again struck them hard._

"Hamma and Flare." Miles nodded slowly. "You're the fourth team to arrive…however, because of the Mismatch Rod's curse, you'll have to wait half an hour before I can check you in."

_However, in a picture-perfect finish, following the check-in of Shimi and Waitress, the brothers' time penalty expired, allowing them to officially be checked in. That left only one team in the playing field._

"…I'm…sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race." Miles apologized regretfully.

Sisters Shoot to Stars; Zessworth Crashes

_Five teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is Astro Avenue, a bustling space colony of interconnected buildings and structures located atop a translucent surface of star magic. Its activities are reported to never cease as a result of a hardly distinguishable day and night. It is additionally renowned for its colorful and intricate designs, including a map of the universe made out of lights that rests over the running river, four beacons that rest at what are considered the main four cardinal directions, and even imported bits of history from the Mushroom world. Near the edge of this outer space locale is this park, Metallica Gardens. Due to being grown naturally in space, the vegetation of this unique place retains a glossy silver coloration and has adapted a hardness equivalent to that of metal. This sparkling haven also became the ninth pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The five teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_With at least one first-place finish distributed amongst the other teams, will Smorgo and Smorga do what it takes to finally raise to the top? Can sisters To and Too, the only remaining female team on the race, and the only survivors of the alliance along with fellow allies Shimi and Waitress, make it through to the top three? And can brothers Hamma and Flare make it to a safe point where they can escape the stress of their penalty curse?_

_To and Too, who arrived at 5:32 A.M…_

"FIRST PLACE, WHOO!"

"HOORAY!"

_…will depart at 5:32 P.M._

-----

Since there was no noticeable difference between day and night, the solar-powered neon lights of Astro Avenue constantly remained on at pretty much every building. In addition, Brighton's essence shone from afar, added to by the lights of millions upon millions of other stars in the far distance.

After the twelve-hour rest period, the sisters appeared refreshed from the overnight leg and seemed raring to go. They eagerly awaited their departure time on the pit stop mat in the midst of the sparkling vegetation of Metallica Gardens, observing the plants from afar.

**To & Too: Sisters- 1****st**** to Depart, 5:32 P.M. (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

Once again, homemade clothing and feminine attire remained a trademark symbol of the two sisters, made apparent by their matching blue jean jackets decorated with colorful rhinestones, respective hot pink and lime green T-shirts with their names etched in glitter, and skirts that had paint and marker symbols. Both girls had left their hair hanging freely—curiously, a breeze blew through the area, causing their tresses to move about lightly. Even more strange was the fact that when their time for departure arrived, the wind quieted down.

Eagerly, the two Toad girls ripped open the envelope in unison.

"'Using your marked UFO, drive yourselves back to the Mushroom world into Cheese Land, and get a flight for Pristine Plains.'" To and Too read in unity. "'Once at Immaculate International, make your way by marked car to Moo Moo Fields and search for your next clue at the main farmhouse.'"

_The licensed UFO driver from the previous leg must now be the one to pilot the marked UFO back into the Mushroom world 259 miles to Cheese Land. Once here, they will need to search Cheese Land International for a flight that can take them approximately 1,809 miles to the Pristine Plains region, known for its quiet grasslands and agricultural productivity. From Immaculate International, they will need to use marked cars to drive themselves 21 miles through the serene countryside to Moo Moo Fields, and locate the famed Moo Moo Farm, a humble family-owned ranch capable of producing some of the purest milk in the world. It is here that teams will find their next clue._

"'You have 003 Smash coins for this leg of the race,'" the sisters concluded, still in their virtually perfect union. Suddenly, they burst out laughing.

"I can't believe they snuck that kind of joke in there!" To stated, pointing at the bottom of the Route Info.

"In my opinion, it's kinda dull…but sorta cute at the same time." Too remarked, depositing three lone coins into the credit card. "Looks like we can't be big spenders this leg…oh, wait…look at that part at the bottom. 'Warning: Yield ahead.' Uh-oh…"

Taking up their backpacks, the girls started walking the dirt trail back to the entrance of the garden.

"Okay…so we're at the front of the pack, and our only cemented allies for the leg are down quite a bit from us," recounted To. "All four of us were hit pretty heavy when we discovered that Zessworth was eliminated, so it's just them, the originals, and us, the add-ons now. It won't be the same as it was with the other two original allies working with Shim-stress, but we can try to make it work. This late in the game, it's probably best to start having several strategies, you know? In case one falls through, have a back-up…we've composed plenty of those just in case, though."

Arriving back at the front lot to the attraction, the Toads were quick in finding their marked UFO. Too climbed into the driver's seat and took a moment to familiarize herself with the controls again.

"So, we're driving pretty much straight down back to the Mushroom world, right?" Too queried.

"I think so. That's what this card says," responded To. "Well, we should get going…we still have to catch a flight to the actual destination."

"I'm not surprised. I think that the alternate fuel source on our ride is disappearing," observed Too. "It's not solar powered."

Shrugging, the green-haired female shakily steered the UFO out into the road and escaped the slight suction of the roads to rise above Astro Avenue. She then flipped a few switches, and started driving the otherworldly vehicle in the direction of the Mushroom world.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 2****nd**** to Depart, 5:38 P.M. (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

Once again, the Big Bandit was back to his usual attire of a mysterious green robe under which white gloves and green shoes could be seen. His partner was wearing a lightweight orange hoodie with a Koopa shell logo near the chest, his signature chokers and sunglasses, and surprisingly enough, jeans.

Andy excitedly tore open the envelope and pulled out the Route Info. "'Using your marked UFO, drive yourselves back to the Mushroom world into Cheese Land…'"

"Five fingers full o' teams ain't gonna make things any easier. Everyone's tryin' harder to play smarter, and sooner or later, each and every mistake's gonna have the potential to cost the whole race." King remarked. "So far, our track record 'as been showin' us as virtually errorless, so that's a good sign. Still, though, four other…erm…three other strong teams ain't nothin' to scoff at."

"Cheese Land? Wadn't that also some place visited last time around?" King asked.

"I think it was…" Andy scratched his head. "I'm pretty sure it was used as some kind of intermediate area that led up to the outer space aspect of that leg…"

Walking through the roads and splits of the garden, the two friends quickly arrived back at the entrance. They dumped their packs into their UFO and got in.

"Well…I think I remember how to direct-fall this thang down…" King mused. "Ah…I think it was that button, dawg…you press it for me?"

"Don't we need to get out of the city first?"

"…Prob'ly a good idea…"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- 3****rd**** to Depart, 6:37 P.M. (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

The strange sparkle effect induced by the previous leg's star explosion had already worn off, as the Smorg were back to their dirty, dull old selves in terms of appearance. However, something just didn't seem quite right…

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Guh guh guh guh guh guh guh guh guh!)" Smorgo shouted ecstatically.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Young fellow, just what do you think you are talking about? I still have yet to comprehend a single thing you are saying…)" Smorga huffed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Guh guh guh guh guh guh guh guh guh!)" Smorgo responded loudly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I admit that a lady must be intelligible enough to speak several different languages to survive in the outside world, but this…this is repulsive! How anyone is to even understand such a foreign tongue is beyond me!)"

Another branch fell, bonking only Smorgo on the head.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (My…are you quite alright?)" Smorga inquired.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Mary had a little lamb!)" Smorgo giggled.

Sighing, Smorga pushed Smorgo all the way out to the parking lot in front of the attraction.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (If I recall, I am the driver that this clue speaks of…glorious! Now…I just need to figure out a way to drive it without breaking my nonexistent nails.)" Smorga mused.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 4****th**** to Depart, 7:25 P.M. (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

Just like with what they'd done for their other allies, Shimi and Waitress were wearing resembling attire in honor of Toadsworth and Zess, respectively—Shimi was wearing a purple and yellow shirt that had holes for his fins, while Waitress was wearing clothes that looked like her work gear—an apron over a shirt, similar to Zess' usual wear.

Shimi opened the envelope and started reading. "'Using your porked LOW, hive your shelves back to the mustard room thrilled into grease pan…'"

"More than once, some of the other teams have asked me why I decided to race with Shimi instead of my boyfriend," Waitress started. "I never really thought about it myself, but I guess it's because I just wanted to get a chance to spend time off of work with one of my best friends. Besides, Shimi's been a fantastic partner by far. Sure, we have a few…communication problems…sometimes, but he can't help it since Cheep-Cheep is his native language. Who knows; maybe it'll come in handy when we're in a bind?"

"We're driving all the way back to the Mushroom world using just the UFO, huh…well, alright." Waitress pursed her lips together. "You sure you're ready for this, Shimi?"

"We don't haft a choice, do we? I'm the licensed liver." Shimi replied.

Upon reaching the marked UFO, the two dropped in their bags, and the chef piloted the hovercraft out of the city.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Last**** to Depart, 7:28 P.M. (Metallica Gardens, Brick Clearing)**

Apparently, some squabbling had gone on at the pit stop again—the Hammer and Fire Brothers were without their hoodies, so it was easy to see a few bandages here and there. The two brothers had also ditched their helmets for the moment, attaching them to the back of their packs.

"'You have 003 Smash coins for this leg of the race,'" finished Hamma. "'003?' Why'd they have to write it like that?"

"Dunno…don't care." Flare shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

"Nope."

"We're getting desperate. It's time we used our Fast Forward; there's no question about it. Even if we have to fight for it, we're gonna use it. I have a bad feeling that if we wait too long, something bad is going to happen that'll knock us out for sure when we least expect it. So, we're using our Fast Forward this leg, no questions asked. None." Hamma reiterated.

"Look, bro…the last Yield is available, too. This is our chance just to make sure no one messes us up." Flare said, pointing out a small line of text on the Route Info.

"Good…we'll just have to make sure that we get on the first flight, then…can't be left behind." Hamma murmured.

Reaching their vehicle, the fighters deposited their backpacks in and got into the seats. Hamma buckled in and took off.

-----

Just like its name suggested, Cheese Land was a region made pretty much entirely out of the dairy product in terms of roads, buildings, and landmarks. Predictably, the area was a Squeek's paradise—as the Little Mousers went about their business, they could be seen occasionally taking bites off of the structures of cheese around them. Interestingly, although the sun should still have left a small bit of light on the horizon because of the time, the whole sky was dark and covered with stars.

After a few hours of driving, the first team had finally made it through the thin atmosphere into the Mushroom world and touched down at Cheese Land International, where there surprisingly were also a few other outer space aircraft parked. The two racers got out of their UFO, pulled out their bags, and strode up the lane into the cheesy airport.

**To & Too: Sisters (Cheese Land Airport, Terminal S)**

"Oh, wow…this place is just so fascinatingly cool…"

"…not to mention somewhat cheesy, if you know what I mean."

The girls laughed as they stopped to check a directory. They scanned it for a few seconds before heading off to locate an information desk.

"Good evening, ma'am…" To greeted. "My sister and I were wondering if you could check up on the fastest flights to the Pristine Plains for us."

"The faster that they are, the better." Too added.

Tapping the counter, the Squeek nodded. "Alright…let's see, then… You have several viable options, but nothing leaves tonight."

"Nothing? No in-directs or anything?"

"Nope. At least, not any planned ones anyway. Your best bet right now would be… Mushroom International 933, which is a direct that leaves tomorrow morning at 5:30 and arrives at 11:50 local time.," said the Squeek.

"Alright…" Too quickly jotted down the information. "Could you give us two more hopefuls just in case the first one falls through?"

"Sure thing. The next best one would be another direct, of course, is Valley Airlines 1961, which leaves at 7:00 and arrives at 1:40. And then…erm… Calm Carriers, leaving at 8:30 and gets there at 3:10."

To and Too looked at each other.

"Pretty spaced out…hmm…" To mused. "Well, thank you very much."

"We might as well check out Mushroom International first…" Too murmured.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cheese Land Airport, Terminal S)**

"Okay…we should start searching around for the best counter…" Andy mumbled. "Where do you think we should go first?"

"If I know anythin,' Mushroom Int'l is bound to have somethin'."

"Right…" Andy nodded, and looked at a nearby directory. "Looks like we'll have to go clear across the airport just for this…well, come on."

**To & Too: Sisters (Cheese Land Airport, Mushroom International Counter)**

"Hello…we'd like to book tickets for your 5:30 flight to Pristine Plains," said To.

"The 5:30 flight tomorrow morning?" repeated the Dryite.

"Yup, that's the one." Too responded.

"Sorry girls, but she's full up. Doesn't look like much of a chance to get onto it, either…waiting list is quite full."

"…Oh. Well…okay."

Dejectedly, the sisters turned away from the counter.

"Looks like our next option is Valley Airlines…" Too noted.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cheese Land Airport, Mushroom International Counter)**

"'Zzup, dawg? Me and my homey here are lookin' for a flight to Pristine Plains. You got any we could chance upon, yo?" King inquired.

"…There's a 5:30 flight tomorrow morning that arrives at 11:50. It's the earliest we have, but it's full, and so is the waiting…well, never mind that. There are a few spots on the list now…"

"Put us on, could you? It's really important that we make this flight." Andy stated firmly. "And if possible, get us on priority."

"…Priority, huh?" the Dryite raised an eyebrow under his turban. "I guess I could…if you boys want, you can hang around here until I get word if you're allowed on or not."

"Will do…we'll stay close by, since we haven't had dinner yet," said Andy. "Thing is, if everything here is cheese, I'm not too sure 'bout the selection…"

"That? Don't pay it any mind; the stuff is great. You'll be surprised at what kind of recipes they have around…go ahead and scout it, chief." The Dryite encouraged. "I gotcha; don't worry."

"'Kay, dawg…we're trustin' ya, 'member that." King flashed a thumbs up.

**To & Too: Sisters (Cheese Land Airport, Valley Airlines Counter)**

"So there are open spaces, right?" To questioned.

"Yup…we have plenty of space left," replied the Toad. "Do you want to go ahead and book?"

"Please." Too nodded.

(To & Too- 1st on Valley Airlines 1961)

The sisters thanked the Toad before walking off from the counter.

"Well, we might have to stay overnight in the airport instead of the hotel because of our money issues…" To sighed. "As if we didn't do that often enough whenever we usually travel."

"Heh, right…well, look at the bright side…we'll be able to tell Shim-stress what we've found out once they get here." Too remarked.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cheese Land Airport, Mushroom International Counter)**

A curious pair of minor league fighters wandered up to the counter upon seeing the Dryite smirk and wave them over.

"What's the deal, yo? We make a spot?" King asked hopefully.

"…Yes sir, you have. Two spots just opened up, and your priority spot was next on the list," responded the agent. "You two are on."

(Andy & King- 1st on Mushroom International 933)

"Aw, yeah! Thanks very much, pal!" Andy said, shaking the Dryite's hand, to which the turban-wearer pulled his hand away. "Eheh…"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Cheese Land Airport, World Flyer Counter)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (How ridiculous. That was the fifth ticket agent that ran away, screaming in terror. Is there not a character of a higher caliber and conduct that can sell us tickets so that we may proceed with this?)" sighed Smorga.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (London bridge is falling down!)" Smorgo sang.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Hush, you! If it were not for the fact that you are most obviously my partner in this race, I would—)"

CLANG!

Dizzily, Smorga plopped over as the suitcase from the passerby trolley fell on its side.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ring around the rosies!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay, like, that was so totally uncool! I think I just, like, chipped a nail!)" Smorga shrieked. "SMORGSMORGSMORG (Like, why don't I have my cell phone to call up my friends! Mother, this is so uncool! Help!)"

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Cheese Land Airport, Valley Airlines Counter)**

"So you're post live that this air's line has the fastest light?" Shimi inquired.

"We couldn't find anything earlier, and the other airline was all full up." To responded. "This was the next best option."

"Well…okay." Waitress said, sounding slightly skeptic. "Two tickets, please."

(Shimi & Waitress- 2nd on Valley Airlines 1961)

The coworkers accepted the two slips passed over the counter.

"At least we shouldn't have to worry about getting any more boarding passes, then…" Waitress mumbled.

"I'm hungry…let's go eat!" Shimi exclaimed.

"…Cheese? …Alright…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Cheese Land Airport, Mushroom International Counter)**

"Seriously, there's no more room? You gotta be kiddin' me…" Hamma groaned.

"Please, man, come on. We hafta get on this flight." Flare repeated. "It's vital."

"…I'll tell you again: there is no more room on the flight." The Dryite said exasperatedly. "…Do I need to spell it out for you in lame-man's terms?"

"No, you don't," Hamma shook his head violently. "Come on! Put our names on the standby or something!"

The Dryite worker sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll put you on the standby list priority. Just stay put over there; if I can get you on, I'll call you over."

Frowning, the brothers reluctantly went over to sit at the nearby benches.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Cheese Land Airport, Food Court)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Okay, like, this is so totally uncool. Every single stinkin' person in this place runs away when they see us! I mean, what the heck? I'm not THAT ugly, but maybe I should go check out the cosmetics in this place…oh, right…it's an airport, not a shopping mall…darn!)" Smorga pouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Old McDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o!)" Smorgo hummed, rolling around randomly. Suddenly, he/she/it bumped into a trash can, causing it to topple into the wall and bounce back to crash!

CLING!

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Dude, like that is so uncool!)" Smorga complained, stepping back as food trays, leftovers, and dirty napkins spread out on the floor next to him/her/it.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Cheese Land Airport, Mushroom International Counter)**

"You two! Dirty blondies!" called the Dryite. "Get over here, quick!"

Wondering what was up, the brothers shuffled back over to the counter.

"Okay, here's the deal. It turns out that a party just cancelled its spot on the flight, so I can get you on."

"Dude…that rocks…" Hamma breathed a sigh of relief. "You got no idea how much we needed to get on this…thanks so much."

(Hamma & Flare- 2nd on Mushroom International 933)

"Whew…dodged a close one there…" Flare smirked. "Hey…you know if anyone else with large backpacks like these got on this flight?"

"…Not that I know of…" lied the Dryite, unbeknownst to the brothers.

"Sweet. We got this flight all to ourselves…" Hamma sneered. "So we're sure to get rid of our foes when we Yield 'em!"

-----

Night came and went in Cheese Land, bringing the departure times for the flights closer to the five remaining teams. Because of the usual sky's appearance, it was very difficult to tell the difference, other than a lighter tinge of blue apparent amongst the stars, despite the early time.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Cheese Land Airport, Terminal P1)**

At the boarding terminal for the first flight, the brothers had arrived, anxiously waiting for the gate to open to the crowded fliers. Seconds before the flight attendants opened the doors, Flare spotted something unwelcome out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, crap…" Flare muttered. "Bro, look…"

"Huh?" Hamma looked around. "…You can't be serious…they're on this flight, too?!"

Getting in line, the best friends grinned upon noticing that they were sharing the plane with another team.

"Well…looks like we got something here…" Andy chuckled. "I guess we're not going to be alone after all…too bad we couldn't have asked around with the other teams to ask what they got."

"Won't matter…long as we're safe, it's all good." King reassured.

-----

**(Mushroom International 933- Departing at 5:39 A.M.)**

From their seats, the major league fighters scowled over at the minor leaguers. However, because the latter's backs were turned, it didn't have much of an effect.

_This is the first of two direct flights headed for Pristine Plains. Riding on it are best friends Andy and King, and brothers Hamma and Flare._

-----

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (To make this flight, we must hurry! Move your body, and make sure to scurry!)" Smorgo ushered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Shut up, already! I'm going, I'm going!)" Smorga snapped.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Cheese Land Airport, Luggage Transfer)**

The two Smorg went retro once again, catching a ride on the conveyor belts to what was presumably a known destination. Known, unknown, or not, they were lucky once more as their belt headed directly for the flight departing for Pristine Plains—the earlier of the remaining two. However, they had to hold still upon being handled by the luggage transporters.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ow! My eye!)" Smorga shrieked.

-----

**(Valley Airlines 1961- Departing at 7:02 A.M.)**

Trying not to seem worried about not seeing any other teams on their flight, the allied teams looked around anxiously before relaxing to the takeoff of their plane.

_This is the second of the two direct flights en route to Pristine Plains. Smorgo and Smorga are stowed away on this plane, while sisters To and Too, and coworkers Shimi and Waitress ride normally._

-----

Predictably, the Pristine Plains was just what it name said it was, a quiet land of roaming grasslands that sprawled out as far as the eye could see. It seemed almost uninterrupted in its clear glory, with the occasional landmark or sprig of buildings located in small bunches, but the majority of the land was full of a lush green dotted with blue winding rivers and colorful rainbows of flowers.

Immaculate International, the airport of the Pristine Plains, was located in the small town of Spotless Glebe, a country settlement of remarkable huts and buildings built into hills, making the landscape from above seem absolutely clear and devoid of markings. Surprisingly, the airport was not an exception—it was located under a large hill, with a set of small hills around it that held runways. Strangely enough, each and every hill that was on top of a runway had a set of several white flowers on the very top.

**(Mushroom International 933- Arriving at 12:20 P.M.)**

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Immaculate International, Terminal A2)**

"We have got to get to the marked cars and make it to that farm first so we can Yield those guys!" Flare reminded.

"Yeah, I know! We just need to find out where they are, first!" Hamma responded.

The major league fighters sprinted at full-speed through the airport, gathering information on where the main parking area was as they went. They soon emerged into a covered area tinted with green that was relatively full of cars. It appeared as if the whole ceiling was the texture of dirt, supported by large tree trunks.

"Here it is!"

Quickly stuffing their backpacks into the back of the van, Hamma slammed the door as he leapt into the driver's seat, while Flare reluctantly settled for the back, picking up a provided map from the pocket in front of him.

"We have exact directions to Moo Moo Fields, so we better not get lost." Flare said, a threatening kind of tone eminent in his voice.

"Well, we won't if you direct me correctly." Hamma quipped, backing the marked car out of its space and turning it in the direction of the exit.

"Fine! We need to follow that little area of pressed-down grass until we come up to what appears to be the first intersection!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Immaculate International, Main Parking Lot)**

"By the sights of this, we ain't the first ones out…" King observed. "Mighty strange…"

"Especially considering that we should've gotten out of the plane before them…they must be desperate to be in the lead." Andy remarked. "…Wait…you don't think they're rushing off just to Yield us, do you?"

King K. thought for a moment. "…It's a possible happener…wouldn't be too surprised, but we should try and halt 'em!"

Taking the advice, Andy started the car up and maneuvered it out from the shade of the parking area, while King told him where to go with the map.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Pristine Plains Countryside)**

"Good…I don't see 'em following us." Flare announced. "We musta left them in the dust back at the airport…"

"Hope so." Hamma commented. "They still have their Yield power, too…if they get in front of us, they'll be sure to take it! Least they can't get the Fast Forward, though…that's the only good thing."

"Lucky us." Flare rolled his eyes. "Whoop-de-friggin'-doo. If first is stolen from us again, I'm gonna be SO steamed…"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Pristine Plains Countryside)**

"Can't see them…maybe they might've gotten off-track." Andy said impassively.

"That'd be good for us…" King stated. "Think we should try Yieldin' 'em if we get to?"

"Maybe…I don't see what good it'd do us, though…" Andy mused.

-----

Moo Moo Fields was basically a large set of pastures built over sections of the river and full of grass. It seemed that the owners used the method of rotating the livestock from pasture to pasture, as some fenced-in areas were empty, and the grass was short. In the midst of the groups of cows were several large barns, as well as a small series of old-looking houses. In other words, the very center of the whole area was the perfect epitome of a regular, working farm.

A marked vehicle stormed down the dirt road into Moo Moo Fields, speeding past the pastures of cows. It careened to a halt in front of the barns, and the two participants inside leapt out, one holding the travel pack.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Moo Moo Farm, Hay Barn)**

Swiveling their heads about, the Hammer and Fire Brothers frantically looked for the familiar clue box.

"Crud…where is it?!" Flare demanded. "Split up!"

"What? Why?! We're not supposed to, remember?!" Hamma reminded.

"Whatever! Let's just—ACK! Look over there!" Flare pointed.

Hamma turned to look where his fighting partner was directing his attention, and freaked out.

"NO! COME ON, WE GOTTA FIND IT FIRST! HURRY!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Dirt Road)**

"Look at that, man…" Andy said, peering over at the barns. "The Ham-bros. are totally going crazy…"

"Kinda a humorous view…better hurry and park, though." King advised. "They obviously got the mind to stop us from racin'."

"You got it."

Not taking the time to park the car in an easily maneuverable position, Andy swerved it into place beside that of the brothers, before dashing out with King.

"I've got the bad jeebies they're gettin' out our pic right now…"

**Team ? (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

After a bit of running around and checking in the edifices, one team arrived at the main barn, and spotted the clue box at the entrance. However, something directly in front of the clue box perked the members' attention more.

_This is the final of the three Yields available on the race. At this point, one team may Yield another team, that is, force them to stop racing for a pre-determined amount of time—however, each team can only exercise their Yielding power one time during the course of the entire race. If a team has been Yielded, they must flip over this hourglass; once all the sand runs to the bottom, the Yielded team can continue racing._

Hoping that they still held their position, the racers stepped onto the mat, and realized with relief that all five numbers still hung from the small box containing the photos. A hand reached into the box and pulled out a rectangular photograph as his partner turned around with the "1" sticker, and the team adhesive.

"It's time we got rid of our main competition…we choose to Yield…"

The two posted the pictures almost simultaneously—the first figure literally slammed the stapler into the large photograph, while the second quickly peeled the small rectangle from its paper and stuck it onto the small box in the corner that was labeled "Courtesy Of."

"…Andy and King." Flare declared.

Smirking maliciously, the brothers walked over to the clue box.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1****st**** (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"Dude…what's all this crap…" Hamma asked, separating the three colored folders. "We're here to look at the Fast Forward, nothing else."

"Alright, then read it!" Flare urged, snapping the green folder open.

"Okay, okay! Keep that fire in your mouth!" Hamma ordered. "'Head to the pasture marked "Pasture 5," and use the materials provided to create the type of soil exclusive to almost all of the Pristine Plains region.'"

_A Fast Forward is an award found on almost every leg of the race. Any team that uses a Fast Forward can skip all tasks and head directly to the pit stop, but that team will be unable to use another for the rest of the race, therefore, teams must decide when it is most advantageous to go for it._

_In this Fast Forward, teams will have to drive themselves through the Moo Moo Fields property until they come across the field marked off as "Pasture 5." Once here, they will be shown the details and aspects of the soil found in the Pristine Plains region. The team must then use the given data to recreate a sample of the soil with several normal factors such as the components of sand, silt, and clay, and outside factors such as water and nitrogen, to get the major points of the soil, including pH, texture, classification, and mineral content, within a certain range close to the original. If the task is completed with all seven criteria met, they will receive the Fast Forward award._

"…Wouldn't you know it…when we needed it most, we get some nerdy, sciency crap for the Fast Forward…" Flare groaned. "So much for that plan…what should we do…continue on, or try it?"

"Hold on…let's check the other stuff first." Hamma said, handing over the red and purple folders. "'Who is into dairy products?'"

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight Roadblocks on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock, that team member will have to choose one of these stalls, each containing a cow, a bucket, and a stool. With their bare hands, they will be required to complete an ordinary farm task done more than three times a day at the Moo Moo Farm. They will have to milk a cow until they fill the bucket up to the marked line. Once that is finished, they will receive their next clue._

"…Well, this is a farm…we'd either have to milk a cow or churn butter…some REALLY humiliating task…" Flare stated dryly. "Since the Hazard is out of the question, that's all we got…"

"…Uh…if it's milking a cow, I'm NOT gonna do it." Hamma said protectively, putting his hands up.

"What?! I don't wanna do it!" Flare said, eyebrow cocked.

"…We don't have time for this…" Hamma realized. "…I know. Rock, paper, scissors."

"Fine."

A single round of the ever-so-popular game went off, and…

"Hah! Have fun, bro!"

"…Gargh, shut up!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"There are the Yield and clue box! Come on!"

Still hoping that nothing bad had gone down, the friends rushed over to the Yield mat. However, their faces plummeted when they saw that the brothers had Yielded them.

"…Great…" King made a face and glared over at the two major leaguers. "…Dawg, this ain't what we need…they just know 'xactly how to bug us…"

"You've got that right…" Andy responded irately, flipping over the hourglass. "They better finish this task before we can get to them…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"That is really uncomfortable, the way they're staring at me…" Hamma muttered to himself. "Come on, Flare! Hurry it up!"

"Shut up! I'm trying to do this, but I've never milked no stupid cow before!" Flare shot back.

"Well, I haven't either! Just go on with it and speed up!"

Giving his brother a long, hard grimace, Flare turned back to the cow's udders and continued trying to rhythmically squeeze them to get the milk out. Fortunately for him, he was going at a respectable pace, and the bucket was filling steadily, despite his claims of not having done the task prior to the race.

"I'm going to wash my hands when I'm done with this…" Flare mumbled disgustedly.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

At the Yield mat, the homeboys were sitting down, patiently waiting for the sand to fall to the bottom of the hourglass. However, they were still intently watching their rivals and eavesdropping on the conversation.

"…Looks like ona us is gonna hafta milk some bovine…" King stated. "Who'll take it?"

"I dunno. It's not like we have experience in milking a cow either…" Andy shrugged. "Maybe my fast hands can get us out of here quickly…"

"If ya say so, dawg."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

As he sped through the challenge, Flare made a mental note of how much more space he needed to fill. It had only been a matter of minutes after his start that he'd finished (and wiped his hands on nearby hay, only to find that made it worse).

"Through over here!" Flare called out, trying to find something else to rub his palms on.

A Koopa Shepherd walked over to the stall curiously and stepped in. He looked over the Fire Brother's shoulder at the pail before looking up at the cow for a moment, as if he was communicating with it. After a few seconds, he nodded and turned to produce an envelope that was handed to Flare.

"Well, I must say…yer pretty fast for a city person," admitted the Koopa Shepherd.

Flare grabbed the clue and stood up. "Thanks, man."

"Cool…maybe we actually have a chance this time around…" Hamma murmured.

On their way out of the barn, the two brothers sneered at the sitting best friends, who merely looked at each other.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1****st**** (Moo Moo Farm, Dirt Road)**

After secretly wiping his "soiled" hands off on a nearby work rag, Flare opened the envelope and took out some Route Info.

"'Make your way to the Towering Treetop and locate your next clue at the very base.'" Flare read.

_Teams must now drive themselves approximately 3 miles to this location, the Towering Treetop. This expansive, aging tree grows at an astounding rate, and is noted for because of its unique qualities, such as sneezing, and the distinctive growths of wood jutting from its main trunk. Here, at the base of this large plant, teams will find their next clue._

"Okay, got it. Come on!" Hamma urged.

Taking one last look back at their stuck competition, the brothers gave each other a high-five and laughed as they ran back to their marked vehicle, got in, and drove off.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"Okay. This bites…if they finish everything before we can even get off of this Yield mat, I'm gonna be steamed." Andy declared.

"Way to wait, yo. I already am…" King remarked. "Thing's takin' way too long…"

-----

True to its name, the Towering Treetop was just that—a towering tree seemingly way over the limit for what would be the acceptable size for a regular tree. Like most other unusual objects in the Mushroom world, it had eyes and the ability to talk. Several other trees around it supported what appeared to be a wooden road, suggesting that the area was a community, or at the very least, a wildlife ecosystem full of hidden creatures. The large tree itself was situated a ways in front of a large hill that looked about the same height, and in the middle of the two was a crystal-clear lake that spawned a running river that headed through the treetop vicinity and into the forest.

A winding side trail lead up to the lofty plant and served as a road. A lone car swiftly zoomed across it and slowed to a stop at the side of the tree.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1****st**** (Towering Treetop, Dirt Road)**

Leaping from the marked vehicle, the two frontrunners rushed across the grassy field over to the front of the Towering Treetop, where a small circle of soft soil had been cut into the grass. In the middle of it was the clue box, standing by its lonesome. Needless to say, the brothers opened it and grabbed an envelope, tearing it open.

"A yellow folder…there's gotta be some quick task in this one…" Hamma muttered.

"'Detour. "Tree Climb" or "Tree Chop." Where do you stand on the details of trees in the environment?'" Flare read, somewhat amused at the question.

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams will have to choose between two activities that frequently occur within the vicinity of the Towering Treetop. "Tree Climb" or "Tree Crop."_

_In "Tree Climb," teams must make their way around the growing tree's base to this lake, the source of much of the mineral content for the host. Here, teams will need to grab a vine and harness, and fill two buckets with water before taking them to the back of the large tree. They will be suited up with the safety gear, and will have the heavy pails attached to their backs before they are allowed to go up. Once both team members reach the top, they will be unsuited and allowed to water the smaller plant living atop the tree before they receive their next clue._

_In "Tree Crop," teams will have to follow the forest trail away from the Towering Treetop to this marked clearing in the middle of the nearby forest. Here, they will need to use the provided tree-cutting equipment to fell three trees before bundling the trunks and assorting the majority of the smaller branches. Then, they will need to follow the environmentalist way of the Pristine Plains by replacing what was taken with more—in new spots, they will have to plant five replacement saplings. Once both parts of the task are complete, teams will receive their next clue._

"…For once, I think that we're better off not going for the strength gig." Hamma remarked.

"Huh? Whaddya mean we're not going to go climbing?" Flare questioned. "You chicken or something?"

"Oh, shut up," said Hamma, hitting Flare over the head with his fist. "Climbing a tree on a VINE with a BUCKET FULL OF WATER is a lot harder than just rock climbing on a mesa."

"…Tch. Well, it wouldn't matter anyways since we'd speed through either…" Flare shrugged. "At least you can swing an axe easily cause of your lil' hammer training…"

"That doesn't mean I'm doin' all of the work! Now come on!"

With that, the two ran at a respectable pace down another dirt trail that led into the nearby forest.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"…This is taking forever to empty…" Andy mumbled. "Oh, gosh…I bet that the next flight will be here by the time we get let out…"

"Not quite, bro…it's almost there…" King said coolly.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"This is WAY too easy." Hamma remarked, slamming his axe into and through another tree, causing it to immediately topple over.

"Just one more." Flare reminded, setting to work cleaning the trunk of the small branches.

"I know, I know! Now which little sucker should I get last…"

-----

**(Valley Airlines 1961- Arriving at 1:23 P.M.)**

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Immaculate International, Main Parking Lot)**

It was more than obvious that the two allied teams weren't going to break up anytime soon—they'd teamed up to pull ahead and hopefully surpass anyone who was in front of them, or stay in front of anyone behind them. They had no idea who was under either of the two aforementioned categories. However, they quickly figured it out upon noticing that only one other marked car was left in the lot once they'd gotten into their respective vehicles.

"The farm looks like it's a good ways away from here. We'll lead, guys!" To called out.

"Okay! Right behind you!" Waitress shouted back from behind the wheel.

The two cars drove out from under the protection of the parking hill and out into the sunlight.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Immaculate International, Main Parking Lot)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This dumb race thing is totally ridiculous! My nonexistent feet hurt, and I'm tired!)" Smorga pouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Stay quiet, you impudent mortal! Move yeself so that we can achieve victory!)" Smorgo commanded.

Subdued by the strange demand, Smorga took the driver's seat of the marked car.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Drive!)" Smorgo shouted.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"Okay…it's nearly there…" Andy observed.

Now that the sand was starting to slow to a trickle, the two minor leaguers had stood up and were preparing to make up for stolen time.

"…Go!" yelled King.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 2****nd**** (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"'Well, we don't even need to know who's doing it. It's me!" Andy stated. "This other stuff is out of the question for us…we've used our Forward, and we don't want to waste time with the Hazard…"

"Try not to 'moove' too slowly, dawg!" King joked, causing Andy to sweatdrop.

"Dude, that was bad…" Andy remarked, heading over to a stall and sitting down. "…There are flies swarming around this cow's…eww…"

King K. snickered. "You're not reachin' there, yo…"

"Whatever, man." Andy shook his head and began trying to milk the cow.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"Okay, clear that section of the branches off and we'll be through with this log." Flare directed.

"Where's the rope?" Hamma asked.

"Over there."

"I'll go get it ready for the bundling."

"What? No, work on the branches first!"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"…Gee…and to think it took Flare only a few sixties to do this." King remarked.

"Well, I don't see you trying to do it."

"I'm not allowed to, dawg."

"…Touché."

King leaned against the wood of one of the nearby stalls as he watched Andy try and squeeze the milk from the cow's udders. Because they had been situated at the far end of the barn earlier on, they hadn't witnessed the technique Flare had used when he was performing the Roadblock.

"This feels just SO wrong…" Andy muttered. "Why didn't they just give us a tutorial beforehand?"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

Standing there dumbly with the rope, the brothers thought for a moment about the best course of action.

"So…we tie up both the trunks and the branches, right?" Hamma asked.

"I dunno…I don't think so. I think it was just the trunks." Flare shrugged.

"We can't risk it. Let's just do both! We have several ropes, anyway!"

"Fine, fine!"

The two quickly set to work binding the three large tree trunks before going to bundle the smaller branches.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"Alright…I'm almost there…" Andy informed. "I know for sure that I'm glad I wasn't born into this life as a dairy farmer…"

King chuckled. "Seein' as you're not even half of it yet, I'd take sides…slow on the uptake, yo?"

"…It's not easy with a tail movin' about in your face…" Andy complained, moving one of his hands up to swat the cow's tail away from his head.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"It's done!" Flare exclaimed. "Come on, bro—now we just gotta plant those saps and we're finished with this!"

Grabbing the five potted plants they'd been provided with, the duo started randomly shoveling up dirt and throwing the plants in, hurriedly packing down the soil afterwards.

"I sure hope that those losers haven't gotten out from the Roadblock yet, or else all this rushing is gonna be for naught!" yelled Hamma worriedly. "Go faster!"

"Shut up! I'm going as fast as I can!" Flare shouted, stuffing a young plant's roots into the small hole.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"…Don't they get machines to do this kinda thing these days?" Andy voiced. "I coulda sworn that they have some kind of mechanized plunger thing…"

"Maybe…" King smirked. "All's I know…you ain't usin' one o' those babies now!"

Blinking, Andy sighed as King started laughing.

"Argh, quit scoring on me already!"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

Slamming his hands against the dirt to pack it down, Hamma looked up to see his brother finish with his sapling.

"Alright! Finished!" yelled Hamma.

Hearing this, a Monty Mole waddled over to the two and climbed onto the bundled logs, picking at the knots. He then jumped off and went to inspect the bound branches, giving each small grouping a brief glance before strolling over near the brothers, looking for the five young trees. Upon finishing the count, he reached behind his back and pulled a clue out.

"A little messy, but it passes. Go for it," commented the Monty Mole.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1****st**** (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"Thanks." Flare quickly said.

"They haven't shown up yet here…that's a good sign," noted Hamma. "'Drive yourselves to the town of Unsullied Meadows, and locate Purity Park to find your next clue.'"

_Teams must now drive themselves approximately 11 miles to the quiet town of Unsullied Meadows, a restful community located on a slight incline overlooking the downriver portion of the Towering Treetop's river. This unique district is the main processing area of raw materials produced by the surrounding locales. In the midst of this peaceful settlement is the popular recreational center known as Purity Park, complete with a playground, fountain, and jogging trail. It is here that teams will find their next clue._

"What is with all these retarded names already?" Flare asked quizzically.

"Forget it; we can't waste a second unless we want to lose our lead!"

"Wouldn't want that…"

Scurrying back through the forest, the brothers were more than relieved to find that their vehicle was still parked on its lonesome in the area.

"No sign of anyone else…we still got a potential lead, so we need to get to the pit stop!" Hamma stated dubiously.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

The Big Bandit toiled on, doing his best to get up to the mark in the bucket. He wasn't too far off, but the lack of rhythm and technique had lost him quite a bit of time.

"Don't look now, dawg, but we squandered our fronts." King said warningly.

Andy peeked out from the stall. "…Oh, great…"

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too- Currently in 3****rd**** & 4****th**** (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

Jumping out from their marked cars, the two teams rushed over to the clue box simultaneously and snatched out two clues.

"These other two don't seem like a good idea…there's a Roadblock," announced To. "'Who is into dairy products?'"

"Only when I'm booking them…" Shimi murmured.

"Well, I'm not…you go ahead and do it." Waitress responded.

"…Aww…" Shimi frowned.

"I guess I'll do it." To volunteered, quickly holding her hair back with a scrunchie.

"What do you have to do?" Too inquired.

"Judging by the looks of things, they have to milk a cow…" Waitress replied. "Hey, look! King is over there…that means that we've caught up to at least one team."

"Cool. Better get started." To remarked, heading over to an open stall, Shimi close behind.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in Last (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

Several minutes after the arrival of the allies, the final marked car pulled up to visit the farm.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Shift your worthless self to that door!)" Smorgo commanded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quite yelling already! You're hurting my nonexistent ears…)" Smorga whined.

The Smorg rolled over to the clue box and took out an envelope.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Roadblock? That sounds too tiring! You! Take care of this, now!)" Smorgo shouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…What?! ME?! I don't wanna touch a stinky, dirty cow! EWW!)" screeched Smorga.

Much to Smorga's dismay, Smorgo pushed him/her/it into an empty milking stall.

"They're almost done…" Too noted, looking over at Andy out of the corner of her eye. "Come on, sis…we can catch up…"

"Um…how do you work this sting? I'm very confused…is this dare the milk comes about?" Shimi asked aloud.

"I don't know how to do it…I think you squeeze the udders." Waitress suggested, looking around.

"How come I can't get this right? It's not working!" Shimi yelped, helplessly floundering his fins about the cow's udders.

The other team members sitting around sighed.

"Sir, I think it's broken!" Shimi called out, hyperventilating.

"Hey, calm down!" Waitress said, raising her hands up.

"You just got here, Shimi…take it easy, and you'll get it." To advised.

"Seems the lil' fishman is gettin' flustered…" King mumbled to himself.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (UGH, SHUT UP!)" Smorgo yelled.

"Done over here!" called Andy.

To this, the Koopa Shepherd took to ignoring Shimi even more, and strode over to where the homeboys were. He looked at the bucket nearly full of milk and looked up at the cow before producing an envelope.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 2****nd**** (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"That Yield really cut us down to size…now we're bunched with everyone else and have no idea how far ahead those stupid Ham-bros. are…" Andy said bitterly.

"No use gripin', yo. Gotta catch up if we wanna stay in." King said, motioning his partner towards the entrance.

As soon as they read the Route Info, the best friends hurried back to their car and drove off.

-----

If it weren't for the exact positioning of the town, Unsullied Meadows could have been considered as overlooking the river from atop the cliff. Several processing plants could be seen scattered around the quiet, grassy area, working at maximum efficiency without noticeable pollution.

Somewhere near the middle of the town was a large park with tall grass—the exception being a large playground on one of the outer edges. A large fountain of marble towered above the grass, spewing crystal-clear water from a bipedal cow. From the entrance of the park were two roads—one led to the playground and fountain, while the other was the jogging trail.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1****st**** (Purity Park, Entrance)**

"This place is Deadsville!" Flare commented. "There's nothing exciting going on around here at all!"

"Tch. We seriously need to get out of here before we both go crazy…" Hamma said dryly.

"One of us will, the other won't…" Flare sneered.

"Whatever…"

Entering the park, the duo quickly stumbled upon the clue box, stationed in front of the entryway to the playground. Nearby were several park benches and a metal bike rack.

"This should be telling us where the pit stop is soon…" Flare muttered. "'Make your way down the jogging trail to find a bike rack, and claim the two bikes set for your team. Ride the rest of the trail and out into the city to deliver an included set of products down one street.'"

_Teams must now head down this three-quarters mile jogging trail and locate this bike rack in the approximate middle, obtaining the two bicycles meant for their team as well as two baskets full of Pristine Plains products and a particular street name. They must then follow the jogging trail out into the city and deliver the products to the correct addresses, indicated by the delivery notes. Once they are done, their deliveries will be inspected by a nearby supervisor, who will give them the next clue if they have distributed all of the items correctly._

"Delivering crap? Oh, great…that's just wonderful…" Hamma remarked deprecatingly.

"We should be able to keep our lead on everyone else though, right?" Flare queried.

"Well, duh. We got this…let's go!"

Taking off down the jogging trail, the two brothers seemed to try racing each other just to push themselves.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress / Smorgo & Smorga / To & Too (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"I never knew that farm hands had it so hard…" To remarked. "My cow keeps on moving and won't stay still…"

"Try and make it…we have to get out of here as fast as we can." Too advised.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Hurry it up, you buffoon! The time grows nigh, and we must GO!)" Smorgo demanded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Stop yelling at me already!)" Smorga cried.

Waitress sweatdropped as Shimi continued to panic, not being able to properly grasp the cow's udders with his fins.

"How can you stir soup in a pot, but not squeeze udders?" Waitress asked exasperatedly.

"…I…don't…throw…" Shimi whispered.

"…You know what…I think we'd be better off going for the Fast Forward." Waitress shook her head and dug out the green folder from the race pack. "…This sounds somewhat simple…it's combining some dirt and stuff to create soil."

"…Sounds just like cooking." Shimi responded brightly.

"Yeah!" Waitress agreed. "Come on, let's go do that!"

The sisters looked up as the train workers got up to leave.

"Well, I guess we'll catch up with you guys later." Too remarked.

"Yup! Just be sure you don't take last to them…" Waitress warned, nodding her head in the direction of the Smorg.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (You're such a mean person, you meanie! I can't believe there are people even like you in this stupid world! Why couldn't I've driven to my friends' house when I had the chance?!)" Smorga sobbed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quit your incessant babbling and WORK! WORK, I SAY! WOOOOORK!)" Smorgo shouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate—)"

CRASH!

Startled, the allied teams instantly turned in time to see Smorga fly across the barn, having been kicked by a cow that was irritated of hearing the nonstop foreign language.

"…Ouch. That's cotta leave a dark…er, mark…" Shimi noted.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 2****nd**** (Towering Treetop, Dirt Circle)**

"'Detour. "Tree Climb" or "Tree Chop." Where do you stand on the details of trees in the environment?'" Andy read. "By the sound of things, our best chance would probably be 'Tree Climb.' What do you think?"

"Eh…whatever suits us up for victors." King shrugged. "Might as well…"

With that, the friends started backtracking towards the lot, but turned to follow the area around the tree. Soon, the large lake came into view, with a wooden crate of equipment on the far side.

"This is one mighty big tree…I sure hope we're up for climbing it with weight attached to our backs…" Andy commented.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Purity Park, Jogging Trail Mid)**

Instead of jogging, by the time that the Glitz Pit major leaguers reached the bike rack, they were at their full-fledged sprinting speeds.

"There are the bikes!" Flare pointed.

Running over to the rack, the two brothers quickly scanned the five pairs of bicycles until they found theirs—two regular bikes with respective green and red colors; however, both featured flames (one more than the other, of course).

"Alright…so we need to wheel outta here and then deliver these…cheeses and milk?" Hamma lifted an eyebrow.

"And yogurt…" Flare added. "How many darn uses for milk did they find? …I don't even recognize some of this junk…"

"Whatever—we gotta go if we want to keep our lead." Hamma reminded.

Getting on top of their bicycles, the brothers started pedaling and cruised around the curve of the trail.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

After a great deal of searching through the numerous paddocks of the farm, the Excess Express employees finally arrived where their planned destination was—Pasture 5.

"Hopefully this Fast Forward will be much easier than the Roadblock was for you…" Waitress said, getting out of the marked car.

"It looks like it will be." Shimi reassured. "I pink…"

Upon arriving at the area right inside of the fenced grass, the two rendezvoused with a Koopa Shepherdess who was rearranging the flowers in her hair.

"Oh, hi…welcome to…oh, wait…um…" the Koopa Shepherdess recollected herself with a deep breath. "Eheh…my apologies. Uh…yeah…basically…you're recreating the soil that's beneath your feet."

A bit dumbfounded by the simple explanation after reading the clue to the Fast Forward, Shimi and Waitress looked at each other skeptically.

"Oh, sorry…it's not THAT simple… You'll have to match quite a few things, like overall moisture, the size of the particles, the classification…all that good stuff. But really, although it sounds like a lot, it isn't. You'll just need to mix some stuff together…"

Pulling out some flasks from seemingly nowhere, the female Koopa set to work demonstrating how to create an accurate sample of soil at a speed that was impossible to understand.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga / To & Too (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"Please quit moving…I'm almost done, and then I'll be going…" To spoke softly. "Really…just a few more squirts…"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (This totally tubular testing track takes toothpicks to trays!)" Smorga exclaimed lividly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…Shut up and finish your sworn duty.)" Smorgo growled.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Who wears which whales?)" Smorga quizzed.

"They're not very close to being done…" Too whispered to her sister.

"That's good…because I…" To trailed off, "…am done."

Signaling the Koopa Shepherd to come over, To shook her pink ponytail about as her work was checked.

"Very nice job. Here is your next clue," stated the Koopa.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 3****rd**** (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"Thank you!" Too yelled cheerfully as the supervisor retreated to the back of the building.

"Come on, we can read this outside…they might listen in." To stated.

Scooping up the fanny pack, the sisters headed to the outside of the barn near the Yield mat, where they opened the envelope.

"…The Towering Treetop…okay, got it." Too said.

"Hopefully everything is going okay with the Fast Forward for Shim-stress." To remarked.

"Yeah…it'd be too bad if they fell behind at something that was supposed to let them skip all the tasks." Too agreed.

The Toad girls rushed back to their marked car and drove off, leaving the vehicle of the Smorg behind in the dirt lot.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Cowering callous cows cut carrot clovers!)" Smorga shouted.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Work, darnit! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORK!)" Smorgo roared.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Lake)**

"That is one humongous lake…" King muttered, filling the bucket with water. "This'll be a pain to walk back to the plant…"

"Yeah, you're right…" Andy snapped his fingers. "But can't we just fill what we lose back up once we reach back to the other side?"

"Prob'ly…" King shrugged, picking up the harnesses in one hand and one of the buckets in the other. "Still gotta race regardless."

"Right."

The Big Bandit and KP Koopa started running back around the lake to the large tree, spilling water everywhere with every step—they'd barely gone three yards before both of their buckets were at the halfway point.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Purity Park, Jogging Trail Exit)**

"We're out…alright." Flare put his foot down on the ground and took out the slip from the basket on his bike. "Says here we're making deliveries on 'Grazer Avenue.' We need to find out where it is."

"Easy enough…" Hamma said, strolling lazily over to a nearby civilian. "Hey, ma'am…can you tell me and my bro here how to get to 'Grazer Avenue?'"

The Koopa shook her head and continued on her way, pushing a carriage with a baby Koopa inside.

"Right, then…" Flare smirked, turning around to see a Toad just starting down the trail. "Hey! Hey, you! We need directions!"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"So…did you get all of that?" the rancher asked.

Again, the coworkers looked at each other before looking back at her.

"Um…no." Shimi said flatly.

Blinking, the Koopa lit up. "Too bad! You'll just have to recollect what you heard and try to do it yourself!"

Shimi and Waitress sweatdropped.

"Oh, come on…there are all these complicated requirements?" Waitress pleaded. "Can't you just give us one more demonstration?"

"Nope, sorry!" giggled the shepherdess.

Sighing, the two employees started fumbling for the soil collections and started mixing them together cluelessly.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 4****th**** (Moo Moo Farm, Main Barn)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Super salami sandwiches salivate sloppily!)" Smorga said brightly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I demand that you quit that annoying talk of yours this instant and open that dirty paper!)" Smorgo commanded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (For fruity flies, flip four fists!)" Smorga responded.

Annoyed, Smorgo shoved Smorga out of the barn in the direction of the marked car.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Backside)**

Upon reaching the shaded area of the gargantuan tree, the two quickly filled their buckets with water again before getting back to the race officials.

"Which one is going first?" asked the Monty Mole.

"…Guess I am, dawg." King stepped forward.

"Let's get you suited up…" said a Koopa.

Andy watched in fascination as the group quickly dressed his partner up in a safety harness and attached a full bucket of water to his back. A Paratroopa then grabbed their vine and flew up to the very top, tying it to one of the knobs before giving a thumbs up and flying back down.

"It's all your show from here." The Koopa said, motioning towards the vine.

Nodding, King K. grabbed hold of the vine and noticed the leaves attached to it at certain spots. A small twinkle appeared on his sunglasses.

"Got it…" King murmured, taking his first steps up the vine.

"We took that one FF back at that one Kong Jungle Place, which required us to swing 'em with some vines." King recalled. "There was a differ in the stuff, but it helped—smoothies were meant for swingin', while roughies were meant for climbin'. Once I got that, it was eatin' fruitcake to get to the top."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Unsullied Meadows, Grazer Avenue)**

After riding their bikes for a while with the instructions given to them by the jogger Toad from the park, the brothers arrived at a signpost with street names on it.

"This is the right street…good." Hamma quickly started sorting the products in his basket as best as he could.

"We gotta deliver these fast…" Flare muttered, promptly ripping the list in half. "You take that half, I'll take this half!"

"These aren't halves, you have one less than me!"

"Just shut up and start delivering to those doorsteps or porches or whatever!"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 3****rd**** (Towering Treetop, Dirt Circle)**

"It's a Detour. '"Tree Climb" or "Tree Chop." Where do you stand on details of trees in the environment?'" read To.

The girls quickly scanned the two options.

"We'd better do 'Tree Chop,' especially if the other one involves us climbing with weights attached…" Too suggested.

"Good idea…let's go."

Dashing off through the forest, the Toad girls looked back and realized that there was another car in the lot.

"I wonder who that belongs to?"

"Probably Andy and King…I hope they aren't doing what we are, or else there will be more pressure…"

"There's pressure no matter what, though…"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Backside)**

"Come on, King K.! Don't take your time; I might have some problems with this!" Andy yelled.

"No worries, dawg! You won't, I promise!" King shouted back. "Can't have no problems with somethin' easy as this…"

The KP Koopa continued climbing the vine with ease, using the hardened areas above and under leaves as holds as he maneuvered his way up.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Is this right?" asked a hopeful Waitress.

The shepherdess did the first test check by matching the color to a key she was holding.

"Nope, sorry…the color doesn't fall in range of what I have. If you want, you can check on what you're sitting on…that soil can help you check for at least the color test."

"…Mixing this foil together takes a bile…" Shimi remarked.

"I know…but we have to go through with this." Waitress responded. "We've already spent too much time here to try and catch up by going back…besides, you'd have to continue the Roadblock."

Chef Shimi made a face.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 4****th**** (Towering Treetop, Dirt Circle)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (A 'Detour?' What is this strange term…)" Smorgo mused.

Suddenly, Smorga bumped into his/her/its partner, causing Smorgo to topple headfirst into the clue box stand, knocking it over.

CLANG!

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Babies blossom burping by bait!)" Smorga cheered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Owie! Mommy, that meanie pushed me! WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!)" Smorgo bawled.

Smorga quickly read over the Detour, and pushed Smorgo in the direction of the forest.

**To & Too: Sisters (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"These trees are really sturdy…and these axes are sort of heavy…" To mentioned. "TIMBER!"

The tree that had been cut down by the pink-haired Toad toppled over.

"You already got one?" Too inquired, to which To nodded. "Oh…I'm having trouble with this one…"

"Here, let me get it. Start another one, and maybe I can finish it up." To suggested.

"Alright. After that, maybe I can clean the trunks like that pile over…who did that one?"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Backside)**

"Sweet! Done, yo! Andy, show 'em what you got!" King shouted down.

On the ground, Andy gave a nervous thumbs up back as the crew suited him up.

"He made it look so easy…" Andy gritted his teeth. "I sure hope I can match it…"

Upon getting the a-ok to go, the Big Bandit grabbed onto the vine and started inching up. However, he had to grip on very tightly just to keep from slipping.

"Crap…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Unsullied Meadows, Grazer Avenue)**

After much crisscrossing on both sides of the street, the Hammer and Fire Brothers met up at the end of the road.

"Okay…I think we're done." Flare announced.

"Where's that race official…we need our clue!" Hamma said impatiently.

From out of nowhere, a Koopa seemed to materialize. He strolled over coolly to the two and nodded at them before casting his gaze back over the street.

"That…would be me," stated the Koopa. "Okay…it looks like you have four items out of place…go back and fix them."

"…What?! How could we've messed up?!" Flare asked heatedly. "Hamma, you idiot!"

"Don't put the blame on me; it's so obvious that it's your fault!" Hamma yelled back.

"Yeah right, loser! And just when we need the lead the most, you go and screw it up!"

"Put a sock in it, stink breath!" Hamma growled, socking Flare in the beak.

The Koopa sighed dismissively as a fight cloud was assembled.

"…They're going to squander their lead with this bickering…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Great…um…will this one meet the criteria?" Waitress inquired.

The Koopa Shepherdess took a look at the soil with her color key before nodding.

"You got the color right this time…let's check the overall particle size…"

For a few moments, the female Koopa scanned the sample with a magnifying glass before seeming satisfied.

"pH test…"

Using a pipette, the shepherdess took a small bit of the sample aside, shook it in a test tube of water, and used a pipette to put a few droplets of a bluish substance into the tube. Within seconds, it had changed into another color. She quickly checked it with her color key.

"Nope, sorry…gonna need to add something to make it a bit less acidic…"

"…Acidic? How about baking soda?" Shimi suggested.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga / To & Too (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! SHARP STUFF ARE SCARY!)" Smorgo blubbered.

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (Are aardvarks attacking any apple asylums?)" Smorga comforted.

For being armless, the Smorg were working together somewhat well—instead of two separate axes, they were collaborating using a two-sided handsaw, and had already cut down one tree. On the other hand, the sisters had already finished chopping down all three trees and bound them together before setting to work on tying the branches together.

"Can you get those branches over there and start cutting them off, please?" Too requested.

"Of course," To replied, heading over to cut the smaller branches off of the large trunk with her axe.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Backside)**

"This is…exhausting…" Andy mumbled. "How'd he…get up there so fast…"

Crawling up the vine slowly, the Big Bandit struggled to keep his grip, having to rest his hands one at a time occasionally as he moved along.

"Come on, dawg! You got this!" King encouraged. "Gotta use those leaves, yo!"

"…Leaves? For what?" Andy tried using one of the nearby leaves as a hand brace, but his hand ended up slipping off. "…Bad idea…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Unsullied Meadows, Grazer Avenue)**

"Please say that we've got it right this time…"

Covered in bandages, the two brothers awaited a decree from the Koopa.

"…I'm surprised. You corrected it…" the Koopa joked. "Well, here's your next one, then…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1****st**** (Unsullied Meadows, Grazer Avenue)**

"YES! Please be the pit stop, please be the pit stop…" Hamma muttered.

"'Make your way by marked car to the next pit stop…'" Flare looked up to smirk at his brother, "'…at the Faultless Hotel.'"

_Teams must now head back to Purity Park, drop off their bikes, and pick up in their marked vehicles to drive themselves 4 miles to this quiet building out in the countryside, the Faultless Hotel, a restored example of pilgrimage settlements, complete with some of the oldest furniture and stories remaining in the world. This curiously quiet motel is the possible pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in may be eliminated._

"'The last team to check in may be eliminated.'" Flare finished.

"Won't be us! Let's get back to the park!"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Wrong. Try again."

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga / To & Too (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

At this point, the sisters were working on planting their saplings in ideal locations, while the Smorg were still stuck trying to cut down their last tree.

"Pack it down tightly, and it'll grow nicely." To said, grinning. "I wonder if I came back a few years from now you'll be all grown up…"

"Maybe…I wonder if anyone takes care of the plants here to water them, or if there's enough water for them already…" Too murmured.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THAT MEANIE IS JABBING ME IN MY NONEXISTANT RIBS! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!)" Smorgo screamed hysterically.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Crazy crying causes countless casualties…)" Smorga complained.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Backside)**

"Hurry, stealer! Sun's lowerin' self to the verticals!" King reminded.

"I know, I know!" Andy yelled back. "I'm a Bandit, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm as acrobatic as you, remember?!"

Still struggling with the task, Andy had finally reached the midway mark.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Purity Park, Entrance)**

Riding their bikes in, the two dismounted and pretty much slammed them into the nearby bike rack before racing back to their car.

"Still the only one here?!" Hamma asked incredulously. "We're pretty safe for sure, now!"

"Hopefully that daunting penalty won't hurt us, then." Flare smirked.

The two jumped into their marked vehicle and drove off for the pit stop at high speeds, knocking over a nearby trash can on the way.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"The pH is good, and the mineral content is okay…but the soil's texture and structure didn't make it into the range…" stated the shepherdess. "Sorry…but, do it over."

"…This is so not funny…" Waitress remarked dryly. "Mixing this silt, sand, and clay stuff together is so tedious!"

"It definitions is teddy-us." Shimi agreed.

"…What?" Waitress asked, bemused.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga / To & Too (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Burying borrowed books becomes baked banana bops.)" Smorga remarked.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I don't know how to make this knot…I can't even tie my shoelace! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!)" Smorgo cried.

While the Smorg were stuck tying up their branches, the sisters cooperatively patted down the dirt on their last sprout.

"There we go…I don't see any roots sticking out, so this one should be fine." To said cheerfully.

"We're done over here!" Too called out.

The Monty Mole waddled over to the sisters from the boundaries of the clearing, observing their work as he went. By the time he'd reached them, he'd already reached for an envelope.

"Pretty good, girls. Here's your next clue."

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"Yay!"

Opening the envelope, the Toads excitedly extracted the Route Info from within.

"'Drive yourselves to the town of Unsullied Meadows, and locate Purity Park to find your next clue.'" To read.

"Alright…let's go!" Too exclaimed.

Without taking a look back at their competition, the sisters hurried off back through the forest to their marked car.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Backside)**

"Almost there…" Andy whispered. "Almost there…"

For Andy, the climb seemed to be taking much longer than it should have—unlike the inhumane speed that King had displayed, he was only matching time at an approximate ratio of two to one. He was at the three-fourths mark, concentrating on reaching the top…

"WHAT THE CRAP—"

…when his hand slipped.

"ANDY!" King shouted.

-----

For one thing, the Faultless Hotel seemed to have its own, not-so-discrete fault: it was, put blatantly and plainly, old. Despite its "restoration," much of the exterior material still appeared as "new" as it did when it was first built. However, most of the work was for the inside—rooms of exquisite wooden beauty featured unlikely artifacts from olden days, along with of course, signs of the first dairy farmers living in the building.

Outside, at the front of the unique resort, was the pit stop mat. Two figures stood behind it with the location marker. One was a red Yoshi. The other…

"Quit flicking your tail at me…you will if you know what's good for you…" Blaise muttered warningly, glaring into the distance.

"Moo?" the cow cocked its head to the side as if asking a question, but decided not to press it further.

In the distance, a marked vehicle was speeding along the roads, hopping up and down to follow the lumps in the road (much to the dismay of the filming crew inside).

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Unsullied Meadows Outskirts, en route to Faultless Hotel)**

Driving crazily, Flare continued to slam his foot down on the gas pedal, an intense fire in his eyes.

"'Member, not a second wasted!" Hamma yelled over the noise of the car rocking back and forth.

"Got it!" Flare responded.

Within seconds, the Fire Brother had plowed directly onto the hotel's parking lot area, haphazardly bringing the vehicle to a screeching, lopsided stop near the walkway.

"OUT!"

Sprinting at top speed to the point where they both almost toppled over, the two managed to "save time" by charging over the mat, slamming into the cow, and being knocked back on.

"Moooo." The cow crowed angrily.

"…Hey, Blaise? What's with the cow for a greeter gig?" Hamma inquired skeptically.

"…" Blaise just stared Hamma down to make him shut up.

Both brothers gulped nervously at the sight of the Yoshi's fierce gaze.

"Hamma and Flare," Blaise stated calmly, "you are the first team to arrive. Obviously, I can't check you in due to your penalty from the Mismatch Rod, so you'll have to wait."

"Yadda yadda yadda…" Flare murmured. "We're still gonna be in…"

"I hope so…" Hamma nodded slowly, following his brother off the mat and to a nearby table.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Sorry, but the coloration is off…" the shepherdess apologized. "You'll have to try again…"

"…This is getting old." Waitress complained. "How many things do we have to get right again?"

"Seven."

"…We're doomed." Waitress stated matter-of-factly.

"This is not a very pickle situation." Shimi sighed.

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I like the pretty plants! But there are bugs crawling all over…WAAAAAAAAAAAHH!)" Smorgo wailed unbearably.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Quiet quilts quiver…)" Smorga complained in regards to Smorgo's screeches.

The Monty Mole shook his head as he watched the pair attempt to flatten soil by rolling over and over like two rolling pins.

"I don't remember how much I'm being paid to watch this, but it isn't enough…"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Backside)**

"Come on…nearly at the top…" Andy muttered, pulling himself up.

"Dawg, y-you okay?" King asked. "Take a rest if ya n-need to!"

"No, I'm fine!" Andy responded. "Don't worry, King, I'll make it up there!"

"…Thanks, celestials for safety harnesses…" King muttered.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Purity Park, Entrance)**

"Thank goodness, we're finally here…" To breathed. "Okay…where's the clue box…"

"Must be around here somewhere." Too stated. "Maybe it's down one of these paths…"

As the sisters took off down the jogging trail, neither one of them noticed the map. They'd entered Purity Park through the other entrance, a fraction of a mile away from the clue box.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Five out of seven isn't bad…but it's not what you need to get the Fast Forward…sorry!" the Koopa Shepherdess remarked blissfully.

"She's enjoying this…" Waitress mumbled to herself darkly, her eyebrow twitching. "Oh, darn…"

"Can't you have percy on us and just let us mass with a hive?" Shimi asked.

"…I don't know what you're talking about."

Shimi face fell.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Towering Treetop Climax)**

"Whoo! Nice!" King cheered, clapping as his friend's hand reached up to the platform.

Andy exhaustedly hoisted himself up and onto the wooden stump.

"Man…that drained me more than the fight I had against Gonzales…" Andy remarked, lying facedown on the ground while he was being taken out from the harness.

"Heh…guess that this one was all my loudness, eh?"

"Yep."

Taking their buckets of water, the friends dumped the contents out near the roots of the tree sitting on the platform. He laughed merrily before dropping an envelope to the ground from the overhead branches.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 3****rd**** (Towering Treetop Climax)**

"Alright…finally!" Andy tore open the envelope wildly, as if he'd never climbed the vine with his difficulties.

After scanning the information quickly, the two looked back up at each other.

"Sure hope that I didn't make us lose too much time…" Andy said apologetically.

"No worries, dawg. We ain't out yet; this is in no way over." King reassured. "Come on, now…signs there are tellin' us to dismount down the front."

And with that, the two raced over to the zip line that was the first of many obstacles that would impede them on their way down.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 4****th**** (Towering Treetop Forest Clearing)**

"It's incredibly messy, but you met what you had to do, I guess…" the Monty Mole shook his head.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (What does it say? What does it say! Tell me tell me tell me!)" Smorgo shouted excitedly.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Ruby red regal ravens rarely race…)" Smorga contemplated.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (…What? I don't understand…WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!)" Smorgo yowled.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Purity Park, Jogging Trail Mid)**

"Hey, look…some bicycles…" Too noted. "And…they have race flags on them!"

"That's kind of odd…you don't think we—"

"Let's see where this trail leads to! Maybe we just entered through the wrong entrance or something!"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Nope. Try again."

Waitress groaned.

Shimi burped.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Purity Park, Entrance)**

"Yup…that's good…"

Relieved that they'd found the clue box after a bit of panicking, the girls opened the envelope.

"…Ride the bikes and make deliveries…okay." To nodded slowly. "There aren't any other cars here yet, so we're in good shape at the moment."

"Good to hear." Too giggled. "At least we know where the bikes are, so that's a good thing…"

They then backtracked in the direction of the marked bike rack with the marked bicycles with the marked merchandise.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Faultless Hotel, Front Lawn)**

The penalties were getting old by now—both Hamma and Flare thought that and hated the fact that a little bit of strategy resulted in no advantage, and a huge disadvantage crashing down on their shoulders.

"Hamma and Flare, if you could please get over here. I can check you in now." Blaise said firmly.

Getting up from under the shade of the umbrella attached to their seating area, the brothers got up and jogged over to the mat as if they were checking in for the first time that day.

"No one else arrived during your penalty, so you're team number one." Blaise confirmed.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 1****st**** Place, 4:21 P.M.**

"Awesome! It's 'bout time we were back on top!" Flare shouted, jumping up with his fist pumped into the air.

"Yeah! First win ever since leg…erm…" Hamma trailed off.

"That one leg forever ago."

"Yeah!"

Blaise held up his hand, telling them to quiet down so he could speak. "As the winners of this tenth leg of the race, you have both won an all-expense paid trip by Mushroom International Airlines to Windmillville, the pride and joy of the Pristine Plains region. You'll get to spend time frolicking among the flowers, petting sheep, and drinking milk."

"…That's not very funny…" Hamma said dryly.

"Sure, whatever," Blaise continued unenthusiastically, "in addition, you'll be staying out of town in the Milkflow Mansion, being pampered, and…stuff."

"…Good enough…" Flare rolled his eyes.

"When we started getting all of those thirty-minute deals, we never thought we'd see first again. We kept on getting stuck at the back of the pack, just struggling to stay alive in this game. But today, we proved that we can survive on our own even with that little difficulty." Hamma stated proudly. "We can win this."

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Six out of seven…you're getting close. You can get it; just keep trying," encouraged the shepherdess.

"I feel like my arms are gonna fall off…" Waitress moaned, exaggeratedly wiggling her hands about. "Mashing this stuff together is an absolute pain…"

"I debris…" Shimi agreed (that's the word that he meant to say).

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Purity Park, Jogging Trail Mid)**

"Here we go…the bikes." To announced, hopping onto her assigned bicycle. "Sure is pretty…"

The Toad girls had respective pink and green bikes, adorned with glitter and hearts. At the back of both seats were two little flags, again in the respective Traveling Sister color.

"I guess that once we're done, we'll have to return these back…we better finish up fast, since we parked in the wrong area…" Too said, explaining the plan.

"Alright. But before that, we'll have to make some deliveries at…" To looked at the paper. "…Tulip Avenue!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 3****rd**** (Purity Park, Entrance)**

"Okay…so we need to use these bikes to deliver certain items to certain places." Andy said, reading the Route Info. "Hopefully after this is the pit stop; there aren't any other cars in this parking lot."

"Good thing, right?" King pointed to the nearby bike rack. "Already one pair…looks like those halters."

"Yeah…flames and stuff…" Andy rolled his eyes. "How predictable. Well, we're not finishing today in last, that's for sure! Come on!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 4****th**** (Purity Park, Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We get to ride bikes?! B-But…I only know how to ride my trikey! WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!)" Smorgo wailed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Smooth sailing sacrifices supersonic slicing stairwells.)" Smorga shrugged.

Still crying nonstop, Smorgo was pushed along the trail by a rolling Smorga.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Purity Park, Jogging Trail Mid)**

"Here are the bikes."

Interestingly, King's bicycle seat was shaped vaguely like a yellow Koopa shell. Overall, it had a yellow finish with a bit of black spread about. As for Andy's bike, his was a green-blue color with silver accents on the handlebars.

"Geez…these things look brand new." Andy observed. "They spend an awful lot of money spoiling us…"

"Well, there's that grand at the end…think they wouldn't have none to spare?" King asked testily.

"Heh, I guess not…" Andy smirked. "Come on; we need to keep our lead."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Purity Park, Jogging Trail Mid)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (These bikeys are pretty! I'm going to name mine 'Bikey!')" Smorgo exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Winning wheels was worth walking.)" Smorga commanded.

Smorgo pedaled a few feet before falling over.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I have an owie! WAAAAAAAAAHHH!)" Smorgo cried.

Smorga sighed.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Please tell me this is right…we've been giving you samples for hours now…" Waitress mumbled pleadingly.

"Did we defeat all seven?" Shimi asked hopefully.

"…Everything EXCEPT the soil color. Fix that and you can get it. But…you'll have to start over."

"…I hate farmwork." Waitress muttered.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Unsullied Meadows, Tulip Avenue)**

"Hurry, sis! I could've sworn I saw some other bicycles pass by on the way to their streets!" Too called out.

"On it!" To responded.

Unlike the previous team to do the task, the sisters were covering the street more efficiently—somehow, they'd managed to divide their paper in half where one took one side, and the other took the opposite side, despite the order being scrambled on the sheet.

"Only a few more deliveries left to go!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Unsullied Meadows, No-Filth Lane)**

"You doin' okay, dawg?" King yelled.

"Just fine! I'm coming up on the halfway mark, just about!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Unsullied Meadows, Grassy Street)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I can't throw this newspaper onto the porch! WAAAAAAAAH! …Wait…this isn't a newspaper! Now I've made everyone think I'm dumb! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (To take tardiness tables takes two tulips to trash tools.)" Smorga remarked.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"We've gotta get this next one right…" Waitress muttered, pounding the substances together while Shimi poured in some lime.

"We will. Just take up time." Shimi reassured.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Unsullied Meadows, Tulip Avenue)**

"And that's a rap. You got it straight the first time around," stated the Toad, who handed over an envelope.

"Thanks!" the sisters exclaimed in unison.

"It's the pit stop…" To read. "We were right, we have to deliver the bikes back to that bicycle rack all the way on the other side of the park."

"We better hurry; that's going to take some time." Too stated, pushing off.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 3****rd**** (Unsullied Meadows, No-Filth Lane)**

"Pit stop time…and we're gonna show those Ham-bros. we ain't gonna be stopped by a Yield!" King exclaimed.

"That's right! Let's get pedaling back to Purity Park!"

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Currently in 4****th**** (Unsullied Meadows, Grassy Street)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORG (We have to pedal some more? Ohhhhhh…my feet hurt…)" Smorgo complained.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Move!)"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

After a few more adjustments, the hopeful Excess Express employees presented their soil sample to the shepherdess, who quickly went through all the tests.

"Please accept it, please accept it, please accept it…" Waitress quietly begged.

"I don't wanna be eliminated today!" Shimi blurted.

Looking up, the Koopa Shepherdess grinned. "Congrats. You have successfully completed the Fast Forward."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Moo Moo Farm, Pasture 5)**

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Waitress shouted joyfully, accepting the Fast Forward clue.

"What does it say?! Quickly, we might still be in it!" Shimi encouraged.

"…The pit stop is at a place called the Faultless Hotel, located outside of Unsullied Meadows." Waitress read.

_Having won the Fast Forward, Shimi and Waitress may now skip all tasks and proceed directly to the pit stop, at the Faultless Hotel._

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Purity Park, Entrance)**

"Okay, so now that we've dropped off the bikes, what should we do?" asked To.

"Our only other option is to run the trail back to our marked car." Too replied. "It's the quickest route, in my opinion."

"Alright…"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Purity Park, Entrance)**

"There's another marked car here…either two teams never made it, or they've already left…" Andy observed. "There was that one car on the other side, but I don't know if it was marked or not."

"As long as one's in the net, yo." King stated, getting into the driver's seat. "We got a chance."

"Yup. No argument there. Let's get to the pit stop, buddy."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Purity Park, Entrance)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (We're going to lose! WAAAAAAAAAAH!)" Smorgo cried.

Smorga pushed his/her/its bicycle over and bonked Smorgo on the head.

BONK!

"…SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Hurry up, old chap, must not waste any time!)" Smorgo commanded.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Trying times take trying timing!)" Smorga added.

**To & Too: Sisters (Purity Park, Jogging Trail Exit)**

"Hopefully we didn't lose too much time…I'm exhausted…"

"Same here…but we can't give up just yet, remember? There were two other cars in the other lot…"

"They might've already left, though…"

Running full-speed through the opposite entrance of Purity Park, the sisters leaped into their marked car.

"It all comes down to this…" Too murmured, putting the car in reverse as she backed out of the lot.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Unsullied Meadows Outskirts, en route to Faultless Hotel)**

"I think I see it in the far-off distance…" Waitress announced. "We're coming up on the hotel."

"Something else, too!" Shimi pointed his fin.

Looking out of her window, the Toad waitress noticed three other cars speeding down the other road that she was about to converge with.

"That must be the other teams now…we're right on time!" Waitress exclaimed.

"Please, come on! Go as blast as you plan!" Shimi urged.

"I'm on it!"

**To & Too: Sisters (Unsullied Meadows Outskirts, en route to Faultless Hotel)**

"Hey, look! There's the car of Shim-stress! They completed the Fast Forward just in time!" To exclaimed.

"That's good. Now we just need to pull ahead of these other two to be safe." Too stated. "We're so lucky that we had the closer exit to the city, but now we have to rely on more than luck."

"You go, girl!" To cheered.

"Hold on, sis…things are about to get crazy…" Too squinted ahead and prepared to put the car into its highest speed.

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners (Unsullied Meadows Outskirts, en route to Faultless Hotel)**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (These buffoons are planning on raining on our parade! We must put a stop to them and win!)" Smorgo exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Driving dangerously doubts dubiously.)" Smorga warned.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Anything, good fellow! Move off road if we can go faster, whichever to pull ahead!)" Smorgo ordered.

Shrugging, Smorga attempted to move off of the road to pass the two vehicles in front, but at the last second, the car bounced up into the air from going over a large dirt mound!

CRASH!

Both Smorg had had their heads bashed against the car's roof as a result of not wearing seatbelts! Surprisingly, Smorga was still driving…

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Unsullied Meadows Outskirts, en route to Faultless Hotel)**

"Everyone is speeding up on this one-car road…this is getting dangerous…" Andy murmured. "King, don't let anyone pass you. No one."

"Sure thing, man."

"Geez…if we don't get there in time, we're sunk…" Andy remarked worriedly. "You know what? Lead the pack there; let's see how fast this baby can burn!"

"Heh, you got it…" King smirked as he fixed his sunglasses into position before slamming his foot down on the gas pedal.

-----

"Oh, crap…" Blaise muttered.

"Mooooo."

"…Shut up!"

In the distance and coming up fast were four marked vehicles. They were speeding at dangerous velocities and were approaching the Faultless Hotel with no signs of stopping.

"…So it's all come down to a car race, huh…that ain't good…" Blaise mumbled. "They all better stop before they crash into this place, or else someone's gonna be usin' their prize money for a second restoration…"

Luckily, the four cars came to a screeching halt in front of the hotel, parking erratically in a manner similar to what Hamma and Flare had done. One team at a time, they leaped out, running for the pit stop!

"Moooooo!"

"…Blaise…is this the check-in greeter? That's…odd…"

"…" Blaise's eyebrow twitched. "It doesn't matter who, as long as there is someone…"

"Right…"

"…That aside…Andy and King." Blaise quickly motioned for them to get out of the way, which they did. "You're team number two."

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 2****nd**** Place, 5:03 P.M.**

"Pretty good, considering the Yield…wish we could've beaten them this time around, though. That would've been sweet justice." Andy grinned.

"Yeah…next time." King assured.

The next team came running up to the mat.

"Shimi and Waitress." Blaise nodded, shooing them off the mat. "You're team number three."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 3****rd**** Place, 5:04 P.M.**

"Well, at least we staved in." Shimi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah…"

The group watched in anticipation as the fourth team reached the pit stop mat, leaping on.

Blaise sighed. "…To and Too. You're team number four."

**To & Too: Sisters- 4th Place, 5:05 P.M.**

"Oh, phew…" To giggled. "That was the closest we've ever come to being last…"

"Yes, and this mad drive thing drove me crazy…" Too laughed, showing how her grip on the wheel had left an imprint on her palms.

The final team rolled up to the mat.

"MOO."

"Quit hogging my spotlight." Blaise muttered. "Smorgo and Smorga, you're the last team to arrive."

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- Last Place, 5:06 P.M.**

The Smorg blinked blankly.

"I'm pleased to announce…that I'm finally the one to eliminate you from the Amazing Race." Blaise smirked.

The Smorg blinked again.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Pie foot face yum!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Omelet mouse plays rug!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Glasses secret a cement!)" Smorga exclaimed.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Pretty green sky go bye-bye!)" Smorgo proclaimed.

"I kinda feel sorry for 'em…" To murmured.

"Hard to believe they made it this far." King added.

"They sure were great, though, right?" Shimi inquired.

"Give it up. They were weird from the start…" Blaise muttered impassively. "Though I've gotta admit…they were really lucky to break into the top five…"

Crashing into tables randomly like spheres in a pinball machine, the Smorg completely destroyed the front area of the hotel in a record time of almost no time at all. The other teams just watched as the event took place, laughing as they recalled their experiences with the Smorg throughout the race.

Over the Pristine Plains, an equally pristine sky steadily grew darker and darker as the sun started to set. No one had known much about the Smorg except that they were racers, and decent ones at that. During the race, unbeknownst to almost everyone, the miasmas had discovered various personas and qualities. However, unluckily, it had gone full circle—they were back to their old selves again.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Happy earth day to do!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Grow a follicle in pancakes!)"

-----

_Next time, on the Amazing Race…_

_The flame burns brighter than ever as the Glitz Pit male teams head off to war._

"They think they have us beat…well, we'll show them just what 'beat' really means!" Andy declared.

"There's no way they're going to get rid of us that easily." Flare muttered under his breath. "You minor leaguers, IT'S ON!"

_And just when it seemed that the Hazard was bad enough, another race twist literally divides the teams._

"It'll be hard to keep track of everybody else now…" Too calculated. "Hopefully we can just stay ahead and survive…"

"This is so stressful…" Shimi sighed.

-----

Leg 10 Trivia:

- Like in Season 1, Cheese Land was used as a stopover point to reach a main destination—in TTYD1, Leg 6, teams went from Lakitu Valley to Cheese Land by plane, then teleported to Astro Avenue. Conversely, here in TTYD2, Leg 10, teams piloted their UFOs from Astro Avenue to Cheese Land before being transported to Pristine Plains via plane.

- At the beginning of the leg, the teams opened a clue stating that they had "003" Smash coins for the leg. If read from right to left while tilting the head, it awkwardly spells out "MOO," a reference to the next destination in the leg, Moo Moo Farm.

- The Pristine Plains grouping was first introduced in the MKAR, where it was implied that Moo Moo Farm was located very close to the Towering Treetop, the starting point for the thirty-team race.

- Windmillville, a location referenced as being in the Pristine Plains, was used at one point in a spin-off race that was also trashed. In that previous race, it was unknown where the author had placed the location in terms of groupings.

- In this leg, the final Hazard was mentioned, but unused, untouched, and unopened. In the real Amazing Race, when such an additional task is available, it is cut from airing (but sometimes, evidence is left through picture evidence).

-----

Author's Note: Update on 06/08/07

Leg number ten! One more team goes, and we'll have our top three! Three more legs, people, three more legs…

Speaking of legs (haha…), I have some unfortunate news. I'll be leaving today (the day of this update) for a two-week hiking trek out in the wilderness, so I won't be able to speed-write the next legs and get this fic done by the end of the summer, since I have so much going on. This month, June, is the two-week hike. In late July, I'll be traveling for about three weeks in Europe. All in all, that equals not very much time for typing…sorry! I really hoped to get some work done on this race fic and have it wrapped up so I could get number three going, but summer activities just bested me this time around.

In OTHER news, I'm planning on making another foray in race fiction. (Yeah right, he abandoned several others, so why should this be any different?) I'm currently planning another series of race fics after the AR:PMTTYD set (or during, whichever feels right), so I might be producing stuff slower than usual (as if I already do…). The idea HAS risen up to me before, but it died down, like many others. However, it has resurfaced again, so that's a sign that I might want to actually go through with it. What's the theme this time?

**Hanna-Barbera!** Yes, that's right! **HANNA-BARBERA!** I may be young, but I'm a big fan of quite a few of those early and late works that they made…in my opinion, some of my faves didn't get enough screen time, so they'll be appearing on your screen, if this fiction doesn't fall through. You can check on my profile for more info, but I'm covering most of it here…

Listed below are the twelve series/shorts that I plan to have represented (not giving you any particular teams, though…I'd hope; some of you smart people might pull several of the correct teams from this list alone).

- The Flintstones

- The Jetsons

- The Perils of Penelope Pitstop

- Scooby Doo, Where Are You!

- Josie and the Pussycats

- The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan

- The Addams Family

- Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels

- SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron

- 2 Stupid Dogs

- Super Secret Secret Squirrel

- Dexter's Laboratory

If I do go through with that race, believe me, it'll be one of the toughest times I've ever had to decide eliminations and stuff…I absolutely adore some of those characters and shows…and I'm sure that many other people out there do, probably more than me… Anyways, if I manage to survive the summer, that will be an upcoming project that I'm going to have so much fun working on… But if there isn't an update some time this year from me…well, you know…eheh.

Bye, guys! Oh, right…who'll be eliminated last?! Stay tuned for when I update...if I do, so just hope for me, alright! Thanks!


	13. Leg 11: Craving of a Choco Craze!

Author's Note: Uploaded chapter on June 29, 2007. I'll be honest—I'm apparently one of those people that cannot multi-task. It bled through with the MKAR, but here is where I finally realized it, as I was drained of time and inspiration for this chapter by putting up my new story, "The Returning." Surprisingly, I managed to hold off on that action/adventure fiction just enough to find a creative leak to get this done. With the finale coming so close, I just didn't want to let all of this hard work go to waste.

Review Answers:

**SSBFreak**: Yes, things are getting down to the wire! And the wire might be thinning with the conclusion of this leg… (Btw, out of the four cartoons you guessed, you inadvertently correctly mentioned one of the teams for the hopefully upcoming Hanna-Barbera Amazing Race, just thought I'd let you know—but I'd never say exactly which one, right? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

**Yoshi Hoshi**: Question answering time! Here we go (I had a real blast with this one)!

- To answer your questions about Cheese Land, a racer taking a mere piece from a building (Rawk Hawk) resulted in making some of the other teams have to work harder for obtaining taxis, due to the building crashing into the middle of the street. Coincidentally, I guess that my rendition of the locale could be considered a universal hub of the mushroom world, although I'd like to think that one of the other outer space locations would be better suitable for the job (Ex: Astro Avenue, Future Dream, Space Land, Space Zone, etc.).

- My bad on the Detour confusion, it was meant to be "Tree Crop." While planning it, it was originally called "Tree Chop," due to it only being the first half of the task; I must've forgotten to change it.

- Last Hazard for the race, but if I continue on, the field of rods will remain the same for TTYD3. Sorry, but I'll have to hold you off for waiting while I plot!

- The bike customization? Oh, most certainly! With characters like the Smorg and Shimi having to ride, they'd at least do some justice by giving the designs while adjusting for body type.

- Out of species for greeters…of course not. I just thought that with Blaise being the 'serious' host and all, it'd be funny to have him peeved by an irregular greeter.

- By the mention of leaderboards, I can assure you that it's not as bad as you might think. I keep one for all of my races; it's manageable, even with the extra twist of this leg…you'll see what I mean when you read (I usually don't add footnotes, however, except for mentioning where various things are, like the superleg, non-eliminations, Hazards, etc…)

-----

Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

_Five teams of two raced from the outer space location of Astro Avenue back down to the Mushroom world and settled into the region of the Pristine Plains. Brothers Hamma and Flare discovered that they were sharing a flight with their rivals, best friends Andy and King._

Seconds before the flight attendants opened the doors, Flare spotted something unwelcome out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, crap…" Flare muttered. "Bro, look…"

"Huh?" Hamma looked around. "…You can't be serious…they're on this flight, too?!"

_Their plot to stop their most dangerous adversaries in their tracks centered around the final Yield of the race._

"It's time we got rid of our main competition…we choose to Yield…"

The two posted the pictures almost simultaneously—the first figure literally slammed the stapler into the large photograph, while the second quickly peeled the small rectangle from its paper and stuck it onto the small box in the corner that was labeled "Courtesy Of."

"…Andy and King." Flare declared.

_For Chef Shimi, gathering the ingredients the natural way became so much of a difficulty, he was forced to quit the Roadblock in favor of the Fast Forward._

"Um…how do you work this sting? I'm very confused…is this dare the milk comes about?" Shimi asked aloud.

"I don't know how to do it…I think you squeeze the udders." Waitress suggested, looking around.

"How come I can't get this right? It's not working!" Shimi yelped, helplessly floundering his fins about the cow's udders.

"…You know what…I think we'd be better off going for the Fast Forward." Waitress shook her head and dug out the green folder from the race pack. "…This sounds somewhat simple…it's combining some dirt and stuff to create soil."

_Andy had a near miss at the Detour._

For Andy, the climb seemed to be taking much longer than it should have—unlike the inhumane speed that King had displayed, he was only matching time at an approximate ratio of two to one. He was at the three-fourths mark, concentrating on reaching the top…

"WHAT THE CRAP—"

…when his hand slipped.

"ANDY!" King shouted.

_Sisters To and Too lost time at the final task when they parked their car on the opposite side of the park where the clue box was located._

"Let's see where this trail leads to! Maybe we just entered through the wrong entrance or something!"

_For the lead-hungry brothers, it was only a matter of time before their penalty expired…_

"No one else arrived during your penalty, so you're team number one." Blaise confirmed.

_In the end, the elimination came down to a four-way car race out into the countryside, which unluckily, Smorgo and Smorga ultimately lost._

"Smorgo and Smorga, you're the last team to arrive."

The Smorg blinked blankly.

"I'm pleased to announce…that I'm finally the one to eliminate you from the Amazing Race." Blaise smirked.

The Smorg blinked again.

Ham-bros. Chop Down Competition; Smorg Stopped for Good

_Four teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is the Pristine Plains, a spread out rural community of farm workers and pilgrim descendants whose residences specialize in the economic activities of producing and processing raw materials. In the midst of this calm region is this small village, Unsullied Meadows, a town built atop an overhang located above a slowly-moving river that originates from a lake chock full of nutrients near one of the biggest trees in the world. And on the outskirts of this fine town is the Faultless Hotel. This restored community center holds many artifacts of living from age-old history, and is known for its quaint hospitality and simple pleasures. It also became the tenth pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The four teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_After being Yielded in the previous leg, how will best friends Andy and King rebound and take action against long-time rivals Hamma and Flare? Will the fact that the race is coming down to the wire force allied teams Shimi and Waitress, and To and Too to finally split and work independently? And can the brothers go all the way, having overcome their penalty once to prove their strength?_

_Hamma and Flare, who arrived at 4:21 P.M…_

"Awesome! It's 'bout time we were back on top!" Flare shouted, jumping up with his fist pumped into the air.

"Yeah! First win ever since leg…erm…" Hamma trailed off.

"That one leg forever ago."

"Yeah!"

_…will depart at 4:21 A.M._

-----

In the dark, the Pristine Plains was arguably at its finest—the darkness was met with a disturbingly calm atmosphere in which only the faint chorus of bugs broke the silence. Because of the early hours, hardly any wildlife save for the insects was awake; at the farms, all manner of bovine were asleep, along with the birds and other farm creatures.

The disastrous appearance of the front lawn from the previous day was still screaming at the Faultless Hotel—grass torn up, tables knocked over and broken, chairs mangled, the stone walkway dislodged, etc. Because of this, the first departing team, who hadn't really paid it any mind, was more than clueless upon stepping outside from the interior of the clean resort.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 1****st**** to Depart, 4:21 A.M. (Faultless Hotel, Front Lawn)**

Any location had its faults, no matter how perfect it seemed—that of the Pristine Plains was its coldness at night. The brothers had once again donned their respective green and red hoodies, Hamma's (or rather, Bamma's) blue hoodie tied around his waist. Their helmets were on, and they seemed ready and raring to go for the next leg of the race.

When the time came to open their envelope, Flare spit out a small flame that danced on his fingertips while Hamma vigorously tore it open, pulling out some Route Info.

"'You will be transported by bus to Choco Island. Once there, make your way by taxi to the base of Dark Crescent to find your next clue.'"

_Teams must now wait for the departure of a charter bus that will carry them approximately 251 miles to this place, Choco Island. This wondrous area, located in the midst of the Naturfood region, is attached to the mainland by a bridge of pure white chocolate that floats above the dark chocolate moat. Once at this tasty destination, teams will be dropped off at the local bus station, and will have to pay a taxi to take them 2 miles to the Dark Crescent, a crater in the ground outside of Choco Harbor. Here, at this curious imprint in the landscape, teams will find their next clue._

"'You have 58 Smash coins for this leg of the race.'" Hamma concluded. "Got it all?"

"Yeah, I think so," responded Flare as the Smash bill dissipated into the team credit card. "Not much of a balance, and it seems like we're going to be traveling by taxi at this Choco Island place…"

"Do you think we have to pay the bus driver?"

"No, stupid…it's a charter being provided by the race; we don't have to pay!"

"I was just asking a question, you dolt! No need to get at my throat!"

"There are only three legs left standing between us and the finish line. We're going to do whatever it takes to make it there, and make it there FIRST." Flare said, emphasizing his very last word. "With all the pressure on us from having those consistent thirty-minute penalties, it's not going to be easy. Sure, the group remaining has only the best of the best… To us, though, the only competition is those minor leaguers, King and Andy. If we can get them eliminated on the final elimination leg, we'll be a shoe-in for the win!"

Walking across the road in the dark, the brothers stepped into the comfy charter bus, which was lit with the driver waiting inside.

"Hey…think you can leave early, bud?" Hamma asked jokingly, handing out a few Smash.

The Koopa shook his head. "Sorry, no can do. Gotta wait for the rest of the racers to get here, so you're outta luck."

As they headed back outside to put their main unnecessary gear into the storage compartment, the brothers grumbled.

"It ain't fair that we're stuck waitin' for the others because of a stupid charter…" Flare muttered disdainfully.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 2****nd**** to Depart, 5:03 A.M. (Faultless Hotel, Front Lawn)**

In the nippy weather, Andy had brought a green jacket over his yellow robes, while King was wearing his orange hoodie. Needless to say, King's full arsenal of accessories was still there.

"'You will be transported by bus…'" Andy started.

"We were Yielded in the previous leg, and we managed to hang in there and survive, much to the dismay of our obvious Yielders, the Ham-bros. It's too bad that that was the final Yield, so we can't serve justice back on a hot plate like that…we'll have to do it our own way by merely knocking them out of the race." Andy explained. "It'll be easy to exploit the fact that they have those constant half-hour penalties at the end of each leg, since one mistake can bring them crashing down as a result of the rest of us just checking into the pit stop."

"58 gold into the platinum." King informed.

"Cool. Okay…that's probably without a doubt the bus right over there." Andy pointed.

The best friends curiously walked over to the lit-up charter.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 3****rd**** to Depart, 5:04 A.M. (Faultless Hotel, Front Lawn)**

Back to being a Cheep-Cheep regular, Shimi had only a black bandana stylishly tied around his head—no other articles of clothing. On the other hand, Waitress had on a purple skirt that matched the color of her hair, a cerulean shirt, and a pair of white tennis shoes. Her hair was tied back into a single ponytail at the back of her head, and she was wearing her shell earrings.

"'…make your way by taxi…'" continued Waitress.

"With just four teams left, it's going to be tough to stay in. I'm getting really nervous about who the final elimination will be, because it seems like Shimi and I have just been randomly creeping up the standings until we made it this far. Hopefully I'm wrong and we'll have the ability to at least survive until the final leg…" Waitress wished.

"There's the bus over there! Let's go and get some sheep!" Shimi exclaimed.

"Yeah right…it's over 200 miles by bus. That's going to be so exhausting…" Waitress sighed.

**To & Too: Sisters- Last to Depart, 5:05 A.M. (Faultless Hotel, Front Lawn)**

The Toad girls were wearing innocent blue jeans, white T-shirts, and respective pink and green jackets. To's hair was tied into a ponytail, while Too's hair was in a braid that hung loosely from the back of her head.

"'…to the base of Dark Crescent…'" Too stated.

"We had a near miss in the previous leg, where we just barely managed to edge out the Smorg to claim the last safe spot. It can't happen again, especially with so much at stake." To remarked. "Sure, we like to have fun and all, but we know when to get serious. We do want to try and win, so we're going to try and do our best."

Storing the money in the credit card, To looked over at the bus.

"Looks like everyone's already in there and just waiting for us." To observed.

"I guess you're right. Let's go and join the party!" Too suggested.

-----

When the eight main occupants had loaded into the bus and were securely fastened in, the Koopa bus driver made a check on the storage compartment before starting up the charter.

**(Charter Bus- Leaving at 5:30 A.M.)**

-----

To make a long and boring story short, the uneventful ride that spanned a day and a couple hundred miles (with plenty of rest stops) left the four teams void of energy and raring to race. Their new environment, Choco Island, was a perfect place just for that. It was a moderately large island with a dark brown mountain towering above one half, and two cities divided by a chocolate river on the other.

**(Charter Bus- Arriving at 6:57 A.M.)**

When the driver opened the door, the four teams shuffled out and reached under the bus to grab their belongings.

**Andy & King / Hamma & Flare / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Choco Harbor, Bus Station)**

Upon retrieving their backpacks, the group raced outside of the bus station and started trying to hail taxis.

"This place isn't very busy, is it? There are hardly any cars in the street…" To noted.

"Come on, sis! Maybe if we try going to one instead of letting it come to us, we'll have a better chance!" Too suggested.

"Right!"

"Let's go with them, Shimi!" Waitress directed.

As the allies ran off to try and find themselves cabs, that left the two Glitz Pit teams alone with each other. They were glaring daggers, but neither made a move…even when an empty taxi flew by, later caught by the other two teams.

"We need to head elsewhere, lest we catch loseritis…" Hamma murmured.

"You'd know…" King quietly scoffed.

And with that, they headed in opposite directions to find taxis. Within a few minutes, they did, and were off.

-----

The Dark Crescent wasn't really anything special—it was merely a curious imprint embedded in the ground that was darker than the rest of the surrounding chocolate. Obviously, it was made in the shape of a crescent. However, what stood behind it was…and the first teams were just about to find out.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Choco Harbor Outer Region, Cocoa Road)**

"I'm pretty sure that the two Glitz Pit male teams are still behind us, since we didn't see them leave in a taxi first…" Waitress murmured. "Hopefully we're first."

"Yeah. They're getting pretty rocky on the seas, too…" To noted.

"They stared me badly!" Shimi added.

"Maybe if one of them goes, the other will be somewhat mellowed out…" Too suggested.

"Please, yes…"

"Yeah…"

"I'd hope so…"

The taxi driver soon brought the taxi to a stop, and opened the trunk to allow the two teams access to their luggage. Once they retrieved it and paid him, they walked in the direction of the Dark Crescent imprint.

"There's that 'Dark Crescent' the clue was talking about…" To noticed. "But—whoa!"

"What is it?" Shimi inquired. "…Wait…why are fear…"

"Which one is it?"

There, standing boldly behind the Dark Crescent imprint, were two clue boxes, each very similar in looks to the other. However, one small detail split them up—there were two colored dots on each one, red on the left, and blue on the right. The four dots were all lit up like lights, and seemed to beckon for a team to open the boxes.

_This is the first and only Junctionleg of the race. During this leg, teams will at least once, encounter a choice between two different clue boxes that contain different instructions that they will have to follow to the pit stop. Teams may only take an envelope from one clue box at a time; if they decide to change their path, they must return all information into their envelope and replace it back into the box. At the front of both boxes are a set number of dots that limit how many teams may take from each box, and how many have already passed by. Once all of the dots are faded, that box holds no more clues._

"I'm guessing we choose from only one of the clue boxes…" Waitress guessed.

"Alright…maybe we should choose from the same one, then?" suggested Too.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too- Currently in 1****st**** (Choco Harbor Outer Region, Dark Crescent)**

Both teams chose from the left clue box, taking out an envelope each. Once both clues were extracted from the box, the red lights on the front faded.

"Let's see what grist says." Shimi said, examining the envelope for any unfamiliar distinctions—only one was found, a small red sticker on one corner.

"'This is a Junctionleg. The teams will be split to accommodate certain paths that lead to the pit stop. You may only take from one clue box at a time; if you choose to switch, please replace all information and return to the proper clue box.'" To read.

"Here's the Route Info," announced Waitress. "'Make your way to the base of Choco Mountain and locate your next clue at the lift.'"

_Teams taking the red route must now grab taxis to travel 3 miles to the base of Choco Mountain, and find the building that houses the lift to the top. Once here, teams will find their next clue._

"Alright…we better go flag another taxi down quickly, before the other two teams get here." Too urged.

"Better make it two; we might not get another van like we just did." Waitress suggested.

As the two teams ran off, they spotted two other taxis in the distance they speculated belonged to their foes. They wisely chose to head in the opposite direction back into town for cabs.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 3****rd**** (Choco Harbor Outer Region, Dark Crescent)**

"What the heck? There are two clue boxes!" Andy exclaimed incredulously.

"Dawg, forget this here." King said, pointing to the one with the faded red dots. "It ain't got no clues inside. Prob'ly means we go with that one."

"Yeah…" Andy took an envelope from the blue clue box, causing one of its dots to go out. "…Alright…so this is what they call a 'Junctionleg.' Another twist, huh? Cool."

"Un' for me…" King muttered. "We might be stuck with those Ham-bros. now…"

"You have a point…" Andy admitted. "Well, we better try and beat them then. 'Make your way to Choco Tributary and locate your next clue at the docks.'"

_Teams taking the blue route must now grab taxis to travel 3 miles to the mouth of the Chocolate River, the Choco Tributary. Nearby, teams will find their next clue._

"Alright…back to our cab!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Choco Harbor Outer Region, Dark Crescent)**

The brothers ignored the homeboys as they headed back to their taxi. They, on the other hand, headed to the clue boxes.

"This is…odd…there are two of these things…" Flare scratched his head.

"Maybe the clue has some answers…" Hamma suggested, taking the remaining envelope and ripping it open to read the Route Info. "Yup…this is a 'Junctionleg.' The four of us are split…I guess into groups of two."

"That means we're almost definitely stuck with those minors…" Flare deduced. "The other two wouldn't break up unless they had to…"

"Right…so we get to crush 'em with no one else having to scold us!" Hamma roared happily. "Let's get 'em!"

-----

To follow the red route teams (Shimi & Waitress / To & Too), press "CTRL" and "F" simultaneously for the search option and type in "Route 1: Red" or simply scroll down.

To follow the blue route teams (Andy & King / Hamma & Flare), press "CTRL" and "F" simultaneously for the search option and type in "Route 2: Blue" or scroll for it yourself.

-----

**Route 1: Red**

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Choco Harbor, Dark Brown Avenue)**

"There's a taxi! And it's a van! Alright!" Waitress pointed out.

Waving frantically, the foursome tried flagging the taxi down, but upon further inspection, realized that it was full.

"Aw man…it's not empty…" Shimi lamented. "There aren't many bands around…"

"We might have to just seek out two separate regular taxis, in that case…" To murmured. "I think I see one over there!"

"You girls take it; we'll find another." Waitress suggested optimistically.

"Alright."

As the Toad girls ran off to try and flag down the taxi down the road, the train workers set to work trying to find one for themselves.

"This could be very tough, since we only can keep track of one other team…and that's our allies…" Waitress murmured.

"Do you think we'll actually have to face against them?" Shimi asked worriedly.

"I sure hope not…"

**To & Too: Sisters (Choco Harbor, Melted Lane)**

"We need to get to the base of Choco Mountain, please." To instructed the driver as she placed her pack into the trunk.

"Try to get there as fast as you can, also. We're kinda in a rush." Too added.

"I'll do my best." The Monty Mole gave a thumbs up (if possible, if not, a paw up).

Getting into the taxi, the sisters gave each other a worried glance.

"It'll be hard to keep track of everybody else now…" Too calculated. "Hopefully we can just stay ahead and survive…"

"Yeah…I especially hope that we won't have to backstab Shim-stress…I'd hate that." To added.

"Me, too…"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Choco Harbor, Melted Lane)**

"I'm pretty sure that that one's an empty tax over there!" Shimi pointed. "Hurry, get it!"

Waitress quickly caught the attention of the taxi driver and made him pull over.

"Where to?" asked the Koopa.

"Choco Mountain lift. Make it snappy, please—we need to meet some friends there." Waitress directed.

-----

If the name wasn't a giveaway, Choco Mountain was basically a large, chocolate mountain chain and its accompanying canyons that took up nearly half of the island. It had a lake of what actually appeared to be water in the midst of one of the canyon areas, but it was relatively small. In several of the other breaks between the mountains, rivers of pure chocolate slowly ran down the valley and into the lake surrounding the isle. The main and largest mountain, referred to as Choco Mountain (despite the fact that the titular name was actually for the whole chain), had a small house made of what appeared to be white chocolate bricks, where a lift was operated. Although lifts were normally located at the very bottom of their service locales,

A taxi pulled up on the rocky road near the lift and let a team out. The two team members quickly paid their driver, retrieved their luggage, and went to grab a clue.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1****st**** on Red (Choco Mountain Lift)**

"There's only one clue box here…no split." To announced.

"What a relief…" Too sighed. "'Detour. "Going Up" or "Going Down." Where would you rather go on a mountain?'"

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour on the red route, teams have a choice between "Going Up" and "Going Down."_

_In "Going Up," teams will have to head around the lift house and choose one of these tandem bicycles. They will then have to work together to ride the trails to reach the top of the mountain, an approximate 1 and a 1/2 mile ascent, including all of the turns and circles. Once at the top, they will receive their next clue. However, this option holds a major disadvantage—the tandem bicycle is not built for going off-road, and with the bumpy, unpredictable terrain, teams may be forced to repair their bike if something happens._

_In "Going Down," teams will need to ride the lift back down to the bottom of the mountain. Here, they will be provided with shovels and will need to dig within the marked boundaries until they create a hole whose lowest point is at least three feet below the ground's level. Once the teams have done enough digging, they will be alerted by the outburst of an underground chocolate spring leaking into their hole. Upon that occurrence, they will receive their next clue._

"Oh, man…in 'Going Down,' we'd have to dig a whole yard underground…" To commented.

"Yeah, and 'Going Up' makes us use a tandem bike on a road it's not built for." Too added.

"Not cool…which one are we supposed to do? That's a really hard choice…" To mused.

"I think our best bet is probably 'Going Up.' I mean, we just rode bikes last leg…and we're not too good with that physical labor stuff, so it's the better option for us." Too reasoned.

"Good thinking. Hey, here comes Shim-stress!" To pointed.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in Last on Red (Choco Mountain Lift)**

"Hey, girls!" Shimi called out.

The Excess Express employees quickly paid their taxi and gathered their belongings before heading out to the clue box.

"So, what's the deal with this one…" Waitress murmured. "…'Going Up' or 'Going Down,' huh? Well…which one are you planning on doing?"

"We're going to go to 'Going Up.' Shoveling three feet sounds like a bit too much for us…" To pointed out.

"…Good pinking. Should we do the same thing?" Shimi questioned.

"…If you can pedal that much." Waitress shrugged.

"Alright then, it's settled. Let's go for it!" Too encouraged.

The group ran around the lift building and immediately saw the rack, which held four tandem bicycles.

"So, we'll just try our best to get up there…" To squinted and looked for the top. "It doesn't look too far up…I'm betting its just the trails that will make it take a while."

"What're we waiting for? Let's do it!" Too cheered.

Climbing onto their bikes, the two teams started up the trail to the Choco Mountaintop.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Choco Mountain Trail)**

Approximately ten minutes into the ride up, both teams were already feeling the stress of trying to ride up a mountain on a tandem bicycle.

"Oh, this is killer on my legs…it's getting so hard to pedal…" Waitress mumbled. "By the time I'm done with this, I'm going to have the best thighs of all the Toad workers on the Excess Express…"

"Good for you. I don't even have pies, er…thighs! Yeah, that's what I meant to say…"

"We've got to pace ourselves, or else we'll never make it without having to take rests." To stated. "Sis, let me do most of the pedaling for a while. You rest."

"Alright…" Too nodded weakly, relaxing her legs.

While Shimi and Waitress continued to pedal together, oblivious to their allies' strategizing, To and Too switched the pedaling job back and forth. They fell behind a little bit, but as the train coworkers grew more and more tired, it became apparent that the sisters had made a wise decision.

"It looks like its leveling out here…just let the bike coast for a minute." Waitress told the Cheep-Cheep behind her. "We can rest, pedaling just when its necessary to propel ourselves forward."

"Right!"

Although the ascent was pretty tough on the two pairs, and took quite a long time, they both eventually managed to make it to the top without having any problems with their bicycles.

"Oh, gosh my legs are sore…" Waitress moaned, rubbing her thighs.

"Mine, too…" Too unsteadily got off of the bicycle.

Somehow disembarking without falling over, the two groups parked their tandem bicycles into a bike rack, and found two sealed envelopes waiting there for them.

"Cool beans…we have our stews—erm, clues, right here!" Shimi remarked.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too- Currently in 1****st**** on Red (Choco Mountaintop)**

The three Toads exaggerated their tiredness by leaning against the bicycle rack. Shimi, who was a fish and obviously didn't need to (since his fins were used to pedal), simply sat on the ground.

"Okay…I hope we're ahead of the other teams right now…" To said, tearing open the envelope.

"With luck, we should be." Shimi reassured.

"'Ride the lift back to the lift house where you received your previous clue and drive yourselves in marked cars through the Choco Mountain range to Water Lake.'" Waitress read.

"'Search there for your next clue.'" To concluded.

_Teams taking the red route must now ride the lift back to the lift house and hop into one of these marked cars, which they must use to drive 2 miles through the mountain range to this redundantly named landform, Water Lake. This lake in the middle of a circular canyon is the only location on the entire island where water is provided naturally. Teams will find their next clue close to the area._

"Alright…Water Lake. That's a pretty weird name…" Too observed.

"Not exactly, seeing as everything around here is made out of chocolate…" To murmured, handing Too her camera to take a picture from the top of the mountain.

"I wonder how the people here can even live that way!" Waitress made a face. "You can't survive on just chocolate for your whole life…"

"Unless it was chocolate water and chocolate food." Shimi suggested.

"It's still weird…" Waitress shook her head.

The two teams looked around and quickly discovered the lift house, where they boarded two benches and were transported back down to the middle of the mountain, where they had started.

"Cool…there are the marked cars!" To exclaimed, pointing at the line of four marked vehicles.

The foursome quickly found their two marked cars and hopped in.

"Okay, they've given us maps to work with. You want to go in the lead, or do you want us to?" Too inquired.

"You guys are usually good at directions. Go on ahead." Waitress directed.

"I'll be on your behind the whole time!" Shimi exclaimed.

-----

It was only a matter of time before the two teams arrived at Water Lake, a small hole in the mountainside that looked to be halfway full with water. They hopped out of their marked cars.

"Where's the clue box at…"

"I think I see it over there!"

A clue box stood close to the edge of the canyon, overlooking the water-filled crater. The two teams ran up to it, pulled envelopes out, and opened them.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too- Currently in 1****st**** on Red (Water Lake, Lake's Edge)**

"'Roadblock. Who is ready to dive deep down into things?'" To read.

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight Roadblocks on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock on the red route, the participants will be suited up with a wetsuit and an oxygen mask and tank before they will be allowed to dive down into the lake. From there, they will have to search the lake's bottom for one of these two sunken treasure chests—however, they may be hard to spot, due to their blending in relatively well with the surrounding chocolate rock. Once a team member has located a treasure chest, he or she will have to force it open somehow and retrieve the clue inside before returning to the surface and going back to the non-participating team member._

"…By the sounds of it, two of us will have to dive into the lake." Too observed.

"In that case, I'm a shoes-in for our team!" Shimi volunteered.

"You've got that right…" Waitress agreed. "You can even breathe underwater—whatever it is, you should have no trouble with…unlike last leg's Roadblock."

Shimi laughed nervously and blushed, his scales taking on a slight reddish hue.

"If I remember right, you've done one more than me so far, so I'll do it." Too stated.

"Alright, sis…if you're sure you're ready for it." To said, opening the Roadblock folder. "…Yeah, you're going diving alright…you'll have to find and open a treasure chest underwater."

"Shouldn't be too lard—er, hard." Shimi remarked.

"I hope so…" Too remarked worriedly.

Noticing a race official waving them over, Shimi and Too strode away from their partners to an area with several other officials waiting. Within a matter of minutes, the officials had suited Too up with the proper equipment (it was unnecessary for Shimi, so he'd waited for his ally) before giving her the okay to dive.

"Alright…here we go." Too said, placing the oxygen mask on her face.

"You ready?" Shimi asked.

"Yeah. Let's do it!"

And with that, the two leapt off the edge of the small gorge and fell the distance into the lake, resulting in a splash.

"I sure hope that they can do this task easily." To remarked.

"Likewise…"

**Shimi / Too (Water Lake, Underwater)**

"Wow…I've never been underwater like this before! This is really cool!" exclaimed Too.

"Yeah, well, as for me, it's bind a while since I've gone trimming, because of my job…" Shimi sighed.

Swimming down to the bottom, the two started scanning for signs of the two treasure chests. The floor was made of chocolate rock, and relatively bare of any marks and obstacles, so it seemed easy at first. However, after several minutes and finding nothing, the two participants had deemed it otherwise.

"Okay…I don't see a chest around here…did we search this part already?" Too asked.

"I'm not really all that sugar—er, sure…" Shimi mumbled. "Maybe we're swimming around in circles?"

"I hope not…"

"There was barely anything down there…the water seemed kind of a murky brown, and I'm sure it wasn't because of my goggles that it appeared that way…it probably came from the lake floor, made of chocolate rock. Still, it wasn't like that on the surface, but it was like a fog underwater." Too recalled.

**To / Waitress (Water Lake, Lake's Edge)**

"I wonder what could be taking them so long with this?" Waitress voiced. "Shouldn't a treasure chest be easy to find? It's probably going to stand out against the rock bottom or something…"

"That's what you would expect, I guess." To shrugged, then continued. "But then again, they wouldn't make the task that easy…it had to be hidden or camouflaged."

"Right…well, I just hope it isn't too well hidden, then." Waitress said, frowning.

**Shimi / Too (Water Lake, Underwater)**

"There's nothing bumming up…" Shimi muttered. "I don't see a sign of the pest anywhere…"

"We've got to keep on trying. Maybe the other teams slipped up on their route or—hey, what's that?"

Too swam over to a small object glinting in a fissure.

"Shimi, help me pull this out!"

Surprisingly, the chest flew out of the crack in the ground quite easily. Too then proceeded to open the latch, but discovered it was stuck. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a nearby rock and used it to break the rusty piece of metal, allowing the chest to open. An envelope, encased in a protective plastic bag, floated out.

"Great job!" Shimi congratulated. "Help me find one now, please."

"Of course!" Too pocketed the clue before going back on the search.

**To / Waitress (Water Lake, Lake's Edge)**

"I really wish this water wasn't so murky from the chocolate…I can't see them down there." Waitress murmured, squinting hard down into the lake.

"Surely they have at least one clue by now…" To looked at her wristwatch. "…Might as well take a few pictures while they're still preoccupied…"

With that, the pink-haired Toad girl started taking snapshots of the canyon, while Waitress simply sat there looking at the water, watching expectantly for their friends' resurfacing.

**Shimi / Too (Water Lake, Underwater)**

"I think that that over there may be the other one!" pointed Too.

"Really? Where?" Shimi asked excitedly.

Ushering the Cheep-Cheep in the direction of another object glittering in the chocolate ground, the Toad was relieved to find that her assumption had been correct—she'd located the other chest.

"Alright! Thanks!" Shimi exclaimed, tugging on the handle with his fins.

The treasure chest popped right out of its slot with no resistance, allowing Shimi to start pounding on it with his tail. After a few good whacks, the top slowly drifted open, and the envelope came out.

"Yeah! I got it!" Shimi informed.

"Cool! Let's get back up there!"

"Right behind ya!"

**To / Waitress (Water Lake, Lake's Edge)**

Messing around with her single purple ponytail, Waitress once again scanned the lake for signs of Shimi and Too. However, this time, she noticed bubbles coming from the middle.

"They're coming back up!" Waitress exclaimed.

"Really?!" To turned around, and noticed the bubbles. "Great!"

Several seconds passed before the duo actually surfaced from the water. They swam over to a marked ledge on a side of the lake close to the officials, where the race workers proceeded to rid Too of the wetsuit, and dry off the land-bound fish.

"They even have the clues! Alright!"

Instead of waiting for their partners to come over to them like they were supposed to, To and Waitress instead ran over to them just as they were given the okay to leave.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too- Currently in 1****st**** on Red (Water Lake, Lake's Edge)**

"Great job, you guys! I never thought you'd get back up here…" Waitress said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Well, it was sort of hard finding the chests, though…" Too apologized.

"Yeah, but you found 'em! It's your fault we got finished!" Shimi remarked.

"All that matters is that we can move on now, right?" To asked, opening her sister's envelope. "Alright… 'Make your way to the Nutfree River's western edge, and search for your next clue by the mouth to the Darkmoat Lake. Warning: this is where the two paths will meet.'"

_Teams from both the red and blue routes must now drive themselves 4 and 3 miles, respectively, to this convergence point at the point where the Nutfree River, aptly named for the fact that it is a plentiful source of chocolate for people allergic to nuts, meets Darkmoat, the lake that Choco Island floats upon. Here, teams will find their next clue, and be informed of their current placing._

"We'll be able to find out how the other two teams did, then…I hope we didn't fall behind…" Waitress murmured.

"Let's not wait to find out." Too suggested.

Agreeing that they didn't want to be racing for the safe spot in front of last, the two teams quickly ran back to their marked cars and sped off.

-----

Following the theme of obvious naming, the wide river that divided Choco Island into two halves was known as the Nutfree River—ironically, although it originated in the Choconut Mountains on the western side behind the main Choco Mountain, it was said that anyone allergic to nuts could drink from it and still remain untouched. Since the area was on level ground, its mouth met the Darkmoat Lake without any type of naturally occurring obstruction such as a waterfall or rock. On one side of the river was a clue box stand and on it, a low number of stickers.

Zigzagging down the incoming path, two marked cars rushed into the area and parked on the side of the road. Their occupants quickly dashed over to the clue box.

"Oh, no!" To said, putting her hand over her mouth in shock. "Only the '3' and '4' stickers are remaining!"

"…Does that mean we're last?" Shimi asked, immediately worried.

"Not yet…the Ham-bros. still have those penalties." Waitress reminded. "Thing is, I don't see their car, or the other team's car anywhere…"

"Let's not worry about it and just get to the pit stop." Too said, taking out the last two envelopes and handing one to the other team.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too- Currently in 3****rd**** (Nutfree River Mouth)**

"'Using one of the provided canoes and rowing sets, make your way to the next pit stop by crossing the Nutfree River and locating a small clearing on the other side. Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated.'" Too read.

_Teams must now use these canoes and oars to row across the Nutfree River, the widest existing river in the Naturfood Region, to reach the shores on the other side. Upon landing, they will have to search the area for the pit stop, located here on a small pad that overlooks Darkmoat Lake. The last team to check in may be eliminated._

For a moment, neither of the teams even budged an inch. They looked at each other apologetically before glancing back at the boats.

"…Even if the Ham-bros. took a penalty, we can't risk it by being flat out nice and easy with this…" Waitress murmured.

"This is so stressful…" Shimi sighed. "Why'd it have to bend like this?"

"Don't worry about it, guys…it's nothing too big." To reassured.

"Yeah. If this is a non-elimination leg and one of us ends up getting penalized, we're still in it…the others will just need to help them get through the second-to-last leg safely." Too commented.

"But then after that, it goes all out." Waitress stated.

Looking at each other, the sisters seemed to communicate through their eyes, not talking, but eventually reaching a conclusion.

"Yeah…we can deal with that." To smirked.

"How about if we make this one really count…one actual race between us." Too suggested.

"You're on!" Shimi said, raising his fin.

"Well, alright…" Waitress gulped. "To Zessworth and Team Twilight."

"Sounds good to us," responded the green-haired Traveling Sister.

With playful grins on their faces, the group immediately tore down the small hill towards the canoes and leaped in before starting to row with all their might across the wide river, fighting the oncoming current!

-----

**Route 2: Blue**

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Choco Island, Eastbound Roads)**

The traveling taxi of the homeboys sped along the gravely path, bumping and jumping all the way as it rattled towards their destination: the Choco Tributary. Roaring along behind them was a second taxi, containing the brothers. Looking back with serious contempt, Andy groaned upon noting that the other cab was still on their tail.

"They're way too persistent…we can't lose them." Andy muttered. "The only thing we have on them is their penalty…hopefully we don't horribly screw that up."

"That'd be messed up, dawg…ain't no way we'd lose that much time to 'em." King rebuked. "Yo, driver! Think you'll take some extras for gettin' us away from that chaser?"

"Well, of course I would…" the driver responded in an are-you-crazy kind of tone. "Hold on to your boots!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Choco Island, Eastbound Roads)**

"They're starting to pull away!" Hamma shouted. "Don't let them get too far away of you!"

"Right away, sir." Came the reply from the driver.

"There's no way they're going to get rid of us that easily." Flare muttered under his breath. "You minor leaguers, IT'S ON! We may have a penalty on us, but we'll still overcome it and beat you!"

"You can say that again!" Hamma agreed loudly.

-----

Located right near the edge of the Chocolate River, the Choco Tributary was the transfer point between its predecessor, and its successor, the ongoing continuation of the chocolate flow—Darkmoat Lake. Oddly enough, the Chocolate River wasn't the main river of the island, so there was less activity going on around its open space access. Still, there was a small town located on the tributary, with several houses and buildings. However, there was something else more of interest to a certain four people, a clue box situated under a hardened tree made of white chocolate that shaded the arm of chocolate.

Needless to say, when the first taxi pulled into town and the first pair spotted the box, it skidded to a loud, noisy stop, causing bits of dust to fly into the air. That didn't stop the team from taking care of their business quickly and rushing over.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** on Blue (Wrapper's Tribute, Choco Tributary)**

"'Roadblock.'" Andy announced. "'Who doesn't get puzzled very easily?'"

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight Roadblocks on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock on the blue route, the participants will have to walk over to one of these marked chocolate walls, which have each been covered with 250 small chocolate tiles, each cut into a different design so that they all fit into a large puzzle. Using their bare hands, they will have to pull the pieces from the sticky chocolate and search the backside for writing. If none is found, they will have to replace the piece in the exact spot it came from and try again. If there are some words on the back, however, they will get to keep the piece and set it aside. There are five pieces that are needed to finish—once the team members have collected them all, they will discover that all five are able to fit together. Using the formed message on the back, they will then be able to retrieve the next clue._

"Sounds like somethin' right up your alley." King replied.

"I don't know…our counts will be uneven." Andy said touchily.

"No worries. As long as you get done fast, it ain't wasted. I can take care of the last two." King assured.

"…Alright…" Andy opened the Roadblock folder completely. "…Okay…pieces off of a chocolate wall. Hm. Well, this might take a while, buddy…might want to sit down."

"Already ahead of ya." King responded with a laugh, perched atop his backpack.

With his partner prepared to watch and give verbal assistance, Andy walked over to the aforementioned chocolate wall, which had been planted into the ground about only a yard or two from the intricately designed tree. He tested the strength of the chocolate glue by prying the corner piece off; surprisingly, it took very little effort. However, he had to wipe the gooey substance off to look at the back clearly.

"Nothing on this one…and it looks like I've gotta replace these, too." Andy murmured.

"Go for a strategic way around it." King encouraged. "Don't get all confused."

"Good idea…" Andy put the piece back onto the wall, making sure to press it in to make it stay. "I'll do it in rows…it might take a while, but I'm pretty sure I won't miss anything."

As the Bandit set to work on the 25 by 10 puzzle in his method, another cab showed up.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last on Blue (Wrapper's Tribute, Choco Tributary)**

"Looks like they already got started…" Hamma muttered, looking over at what Andy was doing. "This sounds like a stupid one…"

"'Roadblock. Who doesn't get puzzled very easily?'" Flare read. "That's you, bro. Take one for the team."

"…Okay, shut up. That was stupid." Hamma groaned. "Fine, I'll do it…just let me see the instructions…"

After reading the directions and his objective, the Hammer Brother strode over to the other chocolate wall and picked off a random chocolate piece.

"…Nothing on the back of this one…" Hamma said, wiping the chocolate off of the back. He placed it onto the wall.

"King, I got one." Andy announced, holding up a small shard with some writing on the back.

"Nice, dawg!"

Flare growled as he looked over at their rivals.

"Hamma, don't you dare go slow on this…" Flare mumbled.

Taking his cue from Andy, Hamma was also systematically going around the wall, plucking off pieces and putting them back in such a way as so he wouldn't look at the same one twice. However, he was using both hands to grab two at a time, and using his fingers to flick off the chocolate (occasionally into his mouth). After a while, Andy started doing the same, using both hands; the time wasted had caused him to fall behind back somewhat even with Hamma in terms of how many he'd searched. Contrastingly, though, Andy managed to find two more on his before Hamma even managed to get one.

"The Roadblock was pretty hard…you had to pull those pieces off and rub off that chocolate that had been binding it to the wall. It made my hands sticky, and it was pretty hard to even tell if there was writing, since the actual pieces only had like these little scratches…" Andy reminisced. "It's a wonder that I even caught some of those—there were some instances where I had to give a second glance just to make sure I didn't miss anything, and sure enough, it prevented me from missing one of them entirely."

"You're taking too long, bro…you've only got one with writing on it?" Flare sounded. "That's pathetic!"

"Shut up, okay! This whole thing is luck-based, so I've got no control over it, hear me?!" Hamma retorted. "Okay, there! That's number two, so get off my back and let me finish!"

Andy looked back to give King a knowing look as he continued to pluck and search the small chocolate pieces. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, one of the team members discovered he'd collected all five pieces.

"Alright…King, I think I got it." Andy said, rearranging the puzzle pieces into an order where they all fit into each other. "'The Other Side.' Huh. Well…alrighty then…"

Seconds later after going around the backside of the chocolate wall, the Big Bandit came back over to his partner with an envelope in hand.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** on Blue (Wrapper's Tribute, Choco Tributary)**

"'Route Info. Using marked cars, drive yourselves to the town of Melted Springs, and locate Chocorok Field. Locate your next clue there.'" Andy read.

_Teams on the blue route must now drive themselves 4 miles to the small town of Melted Springs, the industry processor that works in conjunction with commercial port Choco Harbor. Once here, they will need to find this place: Chocorok Field, the area that recently hosted the Mushrolympics for its second time. To descend into the area, they will have to move into the enclosed gap by using these overhead ladder rungs. After dropping down, they will be able to access their next clue._

"Alright! Let's get to it!" King shouted, clenching his fist.

Spotting the four marked vehicles nearby on the other side of the chocolate walls, the homeboys picked up their backpacks and ran over to their 4 by 4, dumping in their luggage and getting into position.

"Hopefully Hamma'll still be stuck at this for a while…" Andy muttered, turning on the ignition.

"Hey, either way, we should be able to beat 'em to this new town, dawg." King stated.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Wrapper's Tribute, Choco Tributary)**

The brothers both watched in disdain as the marked car of Andy and King sped off, leaving them in the dust. Hamma still had two more pieces left to find, but he had been making good progress on the uncovering—he was over three-quarters of the way done. Of course, since that didn't matter, all that Flare could nag about was his slowness.

"Great…if the other two goody-goody friend teams somehow do well on their path, we're sunk…" Flare moaned.

"They're not! The two paths are supposed to be equal, even if they're different!" Hamma protested. "If we have something this time-consuming ours, just imagine what they have on theirs, and how long it could take 'em!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get this stupid thing done!" Flare ushered.

Eventually, Hamma cycled through and located the other two pieces he needed. He quickly rearranged them to spell out the message, and went behind the wall to retrieve the clue before bringing it back to show his brother.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last on Blue (Wrapper's Tribute, Choco Tributary)**

"We're going to the town of Melted Springs and finding the Chocorok Field." Hamma said, scanning the data provided on the Route Info.

"Well, quit yapping; those other guys already got a bigger lead on us!" Flare reminded, giving Hamma a push on the shell.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!"

Picking up their respective bags, the two dashed past the chocolate walls to the three remaining marked cars. They found the one that was meant for them, unloaded, and made a beeline out of town.

-----

For an industrial town, Melted Springs was relatively quiet and pollution free, most likely due to the fact that most of its profits dealt with the food the island was based on. There weren't many creatures out and about, save for the occasional Mega or Monty Mole, Koopa, or Toad, since many were at work or at school. On one side of the town was a large field of chocolate, located several feet below the rest of the town, due to being on a lowered platform. It had lots of equipment and objects inside of it, all obviously made of chocolate, of course.

Located just inside one of the inner boundaries of Chocorok Field was the clue box, and above it, a horizontally placed ladder with evenly spaced rungs, reminiscent of that of a playground. The ladder went a short distance over the clue box before curving straight downward and stopping at the chocolate surface.

From seemingly out of nowhere, a marked car sped onto the scene, stopping dangerously close to the wall that surrounded the field.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Chocorok Field, Upper Level)**

"I can see our target down yonder!" King exclaimed, leaning over the rail. "We'll have to make it down!"

"I think that's what the bars over there are for." Andy said, pointing at the monkey bars.

Running over to their best method of getting down, the two went about it in different ways—King went down and swung from bar to bar (showing off the ability he'd used for a previous Fast Forward involving vine swinging), while Andy climbed after him, instead choosing to balance himself on the main two parallel bars, walking behind. Either way, both of them leapt down to reach the clue box, and pulled out an envelope.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** on Blue (Chocorok Field, Lower Level)**

"'Detour. "Wading Through" or "Hitting Into." What would've been your call at the Mushrolympics?'" King read.

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour on the blue route, teams have a choice between two famous activities that were used in the recent Mushrolympics: "Wading Through" and "Hitting Into."_

_In "Wading Through," teams will have to make their way to this set of dark chocolate paths. Here, teams will be provided with an unlimited supply of water that they will need to use to turn the lane of chocolate powder into a liquid state. Once a supervisor has found the slushiness of the chocolate to be suitable enough, the teams will be allowed to wade through their course of muddy chocolate, searching for the clue within the slosh. Once the clue is unearthed from the slippery chocolate, teams will be allowed to continue on._

_In "Hitting Into," teams will have to make their way to this field of Piranha Plants to take part in the popular sport of Chocotennis. Here, they will be rented out a set of tennis rackets for use. They will then be escorted out onto one of the Piranha Plant fields. The Piranha Plants will start spitting out chocolate balls that the team members will have to hit back in just the right way to avoid breaking them and instead, send them back at the plants, causing them to disappear back into their pipes. Once the round is complete, and all of the plants are back in their pipe works, teams will receive their next clue._

Quickly reading the two options before them, the best friends almost automatically knew which one they collectively wanted to take.

"As much as I like gettin' down and dirty, that's a bit too much." King muttered, looking over at the two lanes on the other side of the field.

"Heh, I guess we're taking 'Hitting Into' as our choice, then." Andy concluded. "We might not know how to play tennis, but—"

"That's only one of us, dawg." King informed. "I got some former expos playin' when I was younger."

"You're kidding!" Andy stated, to which the KP Koopa shook his head. "You've gotta tell me these kinds of things more often, King. Come on!"

Since they'd left their main backpacks back in their vehicle, the only thing impeding the duo on their run over to the darker-colored chocolate fields on the other side was King's race pack. Still, the two made it there in a decent amount of time, and were quickly given tennis rackets before being escorted out closer into a section of the field.

"Alright. You have no time limit for this task, boys, so feel free to take your time." The Shy Guy explained. "Basically, this is an aiming competition. You see this grouping of twenty-five pipes, correct? A special breed of Piranhas will come out and start spitting chocolate tennis balls at you that you'll have to hit back, but with the right intensity. If you hit too hard, the ball will shatter. Knock all of the adversaries back into their pipes to clear the course."

"Got it, sir." Andy gave him a thumbs up.

"Alright. Chocotennis field, attention!"

Immediately, the group of Piranha Plants sprang from the rows of pipes, startling the friends. The creatures didn't look much like their regular counterparts—they were almost totally brown, except for the white spots on their heads.

"One round, twenty-five! No time limit!" the Shy Guy shouted. "Begin!"

Andy and King turned back to face the crowd of plants to find several small, slow moving balls being fired at them in a similar manner of a Piranha Plant's usual fireball technique (for the ones that have the ability to spit flame). Both immediately swung at one, but apparently ended up swinging too hard, as both balls broke.

"Dude! I barely even touched that!" King exclaimed incredulously.

"Maybe we should just let them come and touch our rackets." Andy suggested.

Trying out his own suggestion, Andy held out his racket towards an incoming chocolate ball. It bounced off somewhat, but not nearly enough to even go the distance; it merely landed at his feet with an awkward splash.

"…Okay…I guess not." Andy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with his free hand.

"Just hit it pillow-like and let the tense threads do your work, dawg. Nuthin' to it." King said, bouncing one of the chocolate balls into the front row. It hit a Piranha Plant, causing it to shrivel back down into its pipe.

"Alright…I'll try it."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Chocorok Field, Upper Level)**

"Dang! They still got here before us!" Flare exclaimed upon disembarking the marked car.

"Well, what'd you expect? They're not that stupid." Hamma reasoned.

Leaving their 4 by 4, the two brothers rushed over to the monkey bars, slipped down, and started swinging into the pit. They both jumped down right in front of the clue box.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last on Blue (Chocorok Field, Lower Level)**

"'Detour. "Wading Through" or "Hitting Into." What would've been your call at the Mushrolympics?'" Hamma read.

"For both of us? Fighting, of course." Flare remarked.

"Duh. But how about for this?" Hamma said, directing his brother's face into the clue.

"Stop, I get it!" Flare pushed Hamma's hands away. "As much as I'd like to show those two up at their little game of tennis, we're better off with 'Wading Through.'"

"You sure about that? I have mighty good aim, you know." Hamma smirked.

"I'm not so sure about that, especially with that time you broke Bamma's locker with your—"

"Okay, okay! Point taken!" Hamma interrupted. "Let's just go do that, then!"

An unmistakable grin of victory on his face, Flare followed his brother in the run across the field over to the two lanes of powdered chocolate, where an instructor was waiting for them.

"You're here for this task, right?" the Monty Mole asked, receiving a nod from the team. "Alright. What you're to do is lug water over here from that basin. You'll need to pour that water into the lane to soften up the chocolate and get it to turn into enough of a liquid state so that you'll be able to wade through it reasonably easily. Then, you'll find your clue somewhere inside."

"Doesn't sound too hard. Let's go, bro." Hamma urged.

Hurrying over to the large container full of water, the two picked up buckets and filled them with the water before rushing back over to the large lane and splashing them on the surface. It only dissolved with a small amount in comparison to the rest of the lane, but the brothers started alternating back and forth, picking up a steady rhythm to their gathering.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Piranha Fields)**

"Hey, look, dawg! Those guys are luggin' water!" King said, pointing towards the brothers. "Familiar concept, eh?"

"You can say that again from last leg's Detour…" Andy chuckled, hitting another chocolate ball back, but missing.

With the right idea down for their power levels, the two had gotten along a bit more in knocking down all of the Piranha Plants (one of them, anyways). While King usually aced the return, he occasionally missed, only successfully hitting a Piranha Plant every once in a while. On the other hand, Andy often shattered the balls, but the ones he did manage to hit back usually missed. So far, the duo had knocked out twelve of the Piranha Plants, almost half—but with fewer and fewer targets, there was less ammo, thus making it more important for the two to get it together.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Chocolate Lanes)**

"Keep that water coming, bro! We've still got quite a bit more to liquefy!" Hamma called.

"I'm going as fast as I can while getting as much as I can." Flare assured.

Still going with their steady pace of throwing water into the powdered chocolate, the two brothers had long ago protested to the supervisor that the whole surface was wet, but in his response, he'd informed them it wasn't good enough. So on they went, continuing to haphazardly dump water into the pit full of now watery chocolate.

"You might want to try and use this to get rid of some of those flakes and pull them off of the bottom," the Monty Mole suggested, holding out an unbelievably large spoon.

"…Where'd you get that?" Hamma asked, boggling at the sight of the large piece of silverware.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Piranha Fields)**

Down to only five Piranha Plants now, the task was getting much more difficult for the two homeboys—with fewer chocolate balls being spit at them, they were getting fewer and fewer opportunities to take out the remaining plants.

"It's gettin' down to the live electro's housin' now…" King muttered, watching as his ball smacked another one of the plants in the face, prompting it to retreat back to its pipe.

"I'm afraid it's all going to be on your shoulders…" Andy said apologetically. "My aim isn't helping me on this task at all…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Chocolate Lanes)**

"Alright, keep adding it in!" Hamma ordered, stirring the large goop of chocolate with the spoon.

"I am, I am!" Flare responded, rushing another bucket over to the area and throwing the contents out into the chocolate.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Piranha Fields)**

"Two more! Keep on tryin', Andy; we almost got 'em!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Chocolate Lanes)**

"It looks like it's almost ready…" Hamma mentioned. "You better get ready to come over and inspect this, buddy…"

The Monty Mole shrugged nonchalantly.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Piranha Fields)**

"One more!" King exclaimed.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Chocolate Lanes)**

"Alright…it's good. You can get in and search for your clue now." The Monty Mole said, giving the two the okay.

"…Aw, man…" Flare groaned. "Well, this could be a messy job…I'm not sure I'm gonna like this later on when we're waiting at the pit stop…"

"Whatever, worry about that later." Hamma instructed. "This is here and now. Besides, do we ever get to jump into chocolate pits back home?"

"Well, of course not!" Flare responded. "I see your point, though…"

Leaping in headfirst, the two brothers immediately came up, their faces covered in the dark chocolate. Blinking their eyes, they covered their faces off as they groped around under the surface for the envelope, wading through the sticky goo.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** on Blue (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Piranha Fields)**

By some stroke of luck, it was Andy who struck the finishing blow by volleying the chocolate ball back into the last Piranha Plant.

"Awesome job, dawg!" King congratulated, giving his partner a high five.

"Eheh…" Andy blushed slightly.

"Course clear." The Shy Guy stated, producing an envelope from behind his back. "Congrats, guys."

"Thanks." Andy accepted the clue and opened it, taking out the Route Info. "'Make your way to the Nutfree River's western edge, and search for your next clue by the mouth to the Darkmoat Lake. Warning: this is where the two paths will meet.' Alright…so we get to see exactly how the other two teams did on their path."

"Hey…look at that over there." King pointed.

The two homeboys stared at the chocolate-covered Ham-bros. for a few moments in an awkward silence before a fit of laughter escaped their mouths.

"Dude, that's so messed up!" King said, holding the part of his shell where his ribs would be.

"Yeah…come on, though. That means they're about to finish and catch up to us." Andy urged.

Knowing that, the best friends rushed back across the field to the monkey bars, their only ticket out. King pocketed the Route Info before scrambling up the ladder and swinging his way over to the boundary, shortly followed by Andy.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last on Blue (Chocorok Field, Lower Level Chocolate Lanes)**

"Hey, I think I got something!" Flare announced, pulling something out from under the surface. It was an envelope, tightly packed inside of a plastic bag.

"Ha, alright!" Hamma smirked, reaching out to the ground to pull himself out.

Although the Monty Mole held up two towels, the two shook him off.

"Sorry, but we don't have time to dry ourselves up right now…" Hamma muttered, noting that the other marked car had taken off.

"…I know where we're going; come on, bro!" Flare said, folding the Route Info.

By the time the two had rushed back over to the monkey bars, most of the chocolate had already flown off and onto the ground (however, it blended in perfectly color wise, so it most likely wouldn't be a problem), leaving only small splotches here and there. The brothers latched onto the monkey bars, maneuvered across, and got into their marked car.

"Not sure if the producers are going to appreciate us being all dirty, but it's the price they have to pay for such a weird task…" Hamma smirked, stepping on the gas pedal.

"We all have to make sacrifices." Flare stated simply. "We don't lose time by choosing not to clean ourselves off, so we sacrificed our personal hygiene in turn for time."

"Heh, right…"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cocoa City, Nugget Avenue)**

"Speed up, dawg…they're gainin' like race horses." King warned.

"Seriously? You've gotta be kidding…they left after us!" Andy said, looking at the rearview mirror. "Oh, shoot…you're right…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Cocoa City, Nugget Avenue)**

"You're almost up with them, bro…just stay on their tail." Flare advised.

Shaking his head, Hamma chuckled. "Oh, no, I'll do better than that…you just watch."

Suddenly, the Hammer Brother made a daring maneuver—he passed the surprised homeboys by going on the left side of the street and zipped back into place right in front of them. Luckily, there hadn't been any cars on the incoming lane.

"…Alright!" Flare exclaimed.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cocoa City, Nugget Avenue)**

"What the heck?!" Andy stomped on the breaks and honked the horn as the brothers swerved in front.

"They just passed us where they ain't supposed to!" King stated disbelievingly.

"Those idiots…they think they have us beat…well, we'll show them just what 'beat' really means!" Andy declared. "Although we could just wait to pass them with their penalty, we won't—we're going to actually beat them to the mat!"

"You got it, dawg." King confirmed, nodding his head.

-----

When the two teams' marked cars parked in an open lot and they rushed over to the clue box, all four stickers were obviously still there. Hamma and Flare took the number "1" and a clue, shortly followed by a wary Andy and King, who plucked the number "2" and retrieved an envelope.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 1****st**** (Nutfree River Mouth)**

"'Using one of the provided canoes and rowing sets, make your way to the next pit stop by crossing the Nutfree River and locating a small clearing on the other side.'" Flare read.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 2****nd**** (Nutfree River Mouth)**

"'Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated.'" King concluded.

Right after the two teams finished reading the Route Info, they both made a mad dash for the grouping of canoes at the bottom of the hill that led down to the river. The brothers jumped into one on the far side, the homeboys chose the opposite one. Almost in tandem, the two male pairs picked up their oars and started paddling across the river.

"You guys ain't beatin' us to the pit stop, even if we do have a penalty that'll drop us! We'll still beat you!" Hamma declared.

"Yeah, right! I'd love to see that happen!" Andy shot back.

Practically neck-and-neck, the duos reached the middle of the river.

"Hah, surprised you two can actually play keep up! Pretty soon, it'll be catch up!" King scoffed.

"Very funny, sunglasses boy." Flare responded. "You'll be the ones having to do it in a second!"

Upon reaching the far shore, the brothers jumped out first. Not skipping a beat, the homeboys gave chase a second later.

-----

Waiting patiently behind the pit stop mat, the orange Yoshi gave an uneasy tug on his saddle's fastened belt to move it back into its place. Beside him was a Dino Rhino, who was patiently sitting on all four of his legs. He had on the typical business suit of all quadrupeds—a remarkably fashionable striped tie.

"Oh, man…I sure hope that the Junctionleg went well with the teams…" Miles muttered. "It'd be bad if we forgot to add or do something to it…"

"Why? What's the matter; by the way you explained it to me, it would work out perfectly." The Dino Rhino replied.

"Yeah…well, you see, mayor, I'm the one who came up with the idea for the Junctionleg…Blaise was the one who created the Hazard and all of its rods, obviously…typical of him to come up with something like that…" Miles rolled his eyes. "…But his idea was so much more perfected, since it had some development last time…mine entered late into this race, and I still wasn't even sure about it when I submitted it to the rest of the production staff…"

"Hey, no worries. I can hear some teams coming now."

"Seriously?! Awesome!"

Watching as four figures moved into view, Miles and the large Dino Rhino didn't budge as the two teams came rushing towards them. Although Hamma and Flare had initially gotten a lead, Andy and King had managed to catch up. It was just like their battle for first place in leg one, except moved together much closer. Even when feet leapt into the air and planted onto the mat, the two didn't move from their spot.

"Welcome to Cocoa City, on the edge of Choco Island." The Dino Rhino greeted.

Panting, the team members on the mat were too out of breath to even respond, causing a chuckle to emit from Miles.

"…I didn't really expect for anything like this to happen…" Miles murmured. "Um…well, let's see here. Andy and King…Hamma and Flare…you're both the first teams to arrive. However, as you all know, Hamma and Flare have that little penalty still remaining because of the Mismatch Rod…so guys, I'm sorry, but I'll have to wait thirty minutes before I can check you in."

"We nearly beat you out this time…it ended in a tie, but we'll finish it…next leg." Hamma muttered.

"If you're here for the next leg." Andy said, raising an eyebrow.

Disappointed that they hadn't managed to beat their rivals, but content with the fact that they at least didn't lose, the brothers went to stand off to the side, leaving the homeboys to stand alone on the mat.

"Because of that…" Miles turned back to the duo. "Andy and King, you're team number one!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 1****st**** Place, 9:01 A.M.**

"And a well-earned victory it is, dawg." King said, holding a thumbs up.

"Needless to say, we fought really hard to get this one…" Andy mentioned, his hand subconsciously reaching back to motion towards the brothers.

"Heh, I can tell…well, as the winners of this eleventh leg of the race, you have both won a two week vacation here in the Naturfood region." Miles announced. "You only visited Cheese Land and Choco Island during the race, but during your stay, you'll be able to transverse all the different sectors as you please, taste testing and taking in the delicious sights the whole way."

"…Are you trying to make us fat or something, Miles?" Andy questioned lightheartedly. "We can't go back to the Glitz Pit as overweight fatsos, you know."

"I ain't gettin' fat…else I'll have to get 'nother shell." King snorted.

"It'll be tempting for you, I'm sure…" Miles laughed.

Shortly afterwards, the best friends wandered off for their resting time, leaving the brothers sitting off to the side to wait out their penalty. However, the thirty minutes came and went, prompting Miles to call the duo over.

"…You've gotta be kidding…they still haven't shown up, and our penalty just expired!" Flare exclaimed.

"That's awesome! No more hanging by our teeth onto the cliff!" Hamma stated, jumping back onto the mat.

"Hamma and Flare." Miles gave the two a grin. "You're team number two."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 2****nd**** Place, 9:31 A.M.**

"Still in it." Hamma smiled. "We're safe to race another leg."

"Good thing, too…I was a bit worried we wouldn't have our chance to get back at those hotshot homeboys!" Flare said craftily, cracking his knuckles.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Nutfree River Mouth)**

The friendly competition between the two allied teams was going into overtime as they continued paddling across the large river, moving their large oars through the chocolate.

"Come on, Shimi! We can make it over there before them!" Waitress encouraged.

"Hurry, sis! Keep on rowing!" To urged.

"My fins are vamping…" Shimi bit his large fish lips, but kept on rowing.

"This one's gonna be close…" Too whispered.

Pulling onto the opposite banks, one team jumped out of their canoe slightly before the other, starting the footrace to the mat.

-----

"Here come the final two teams…" the Dino Rhino noticed.

"Oh, gosh…not another close call…"

However, it was just the opposite—the leading team managed to jump onto the mat seconds before the other pair arrived on the scene.

"Welcome to Cocoa City, on the edge of Choco Island." The Dino Rhino greeted.

Again, in a strange case of déjà vu, both of the teams were too tired from their little race to respond. Miles simply greeted them both with a sad smile.

"Shimi and Waitress," Miles affirmed, "You're team number three."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 3****rd**** Place, 9:47 A.M.**

Looking at each other, the Excess Express workers sighed in relief before turning around to face the Toad girls.

"Well…looks like you guys somehow beat us." To said, an amused look on her face. "Nice job."

"Yeah…I thought we would be the winners of that canoe marathon." Too admitted.

"Thanks…it's only because of you, though." Waitress stated. "If it weren't for your being right next to us, we wouldn't have sped up to try and pull away."

"Uh-huh…I even overcame my stamp for that last surge of speedo—erm, speed!" Shimi exclaimed.

An odd silence blew through the area as the group stared at the Cheep-Cheep.

"What? It was an accident!" Shimi insisted.

The stillness was broken as a giggling To and Too went around their allies and stepped onto the mat.

"To and Too…as you know, you're the last team to arrive." Miles confirmed.

**To & Too: Sisters- Last Place, 9:48 A.M.**

"We figured that out long ago, Miles." To joked.

"Just give us the news…and make it good, please." Too suggested.

Smirking, Miles nodded. "I'm pleased to tell you that this is the final of the three non-elimination legs, so you two are still in the race. However, I'll have to take away all of your money, and you won't be provided any by the race at the beginning of the next leg. Additionally, you're to start the twelfth leg with zero money to your name as you leave."

Shrugging, the sisters handed over their team credit card to Miles.

"Thanks…you'll be getting this back later today, before you leave." Miles said. "…So…apparently, you two aren't worried about your disadvantage. Exactly why is that?"

"Because…our friends here have our back." Too said, motioning towards the coworkers. "We can make it through the next leg together…but after that…"

"…Then it's all out for the four of us against whichever one of the other two teams is with us." Waitress concluded.

"We plan to yelp—er, help, our allies in the second-to-last leg as much as possible, because we know they would've done the same for us if we'd gum—I mean, come, in last." Shimi explained. "They'll probably have a difficult time, but with us at their side, what can go wrong?"

"I'm pretty sure that since we stand united together as a superteam, we're making it into the final three. The other two Glitz Pit teams fight so much, they're too busy clashing to worry about us, so we should be able to sneak by without a problem." To predicted. "The only thing is, once one of them gets booted off, the other will finally be back on track. One thing is for sure…it'll probably be a hectic finale in these last two legs."

With Miles and the Cocoa City mayor looking on, the two allied teams showed off a symbol of their alliance by clasping each other's hands in a circle.

-----

_Next time, on the two-part season finale of the Amazing Race…_

_Several teams jump for the opportunity to take part in the makings of a real action movie._

Scrambling to get out of the way, King leapt into the air to dodge the incoming car, just as it plowed into the building set behind him.

"Look out behind you!" Andy shouted.

_Waitress ends up repeatedly striking out at a tough task._

"AAARGH!" Waitress let out a high-pitched scream of frustration. "Why can't I hit the stupid ball! I hate this so much!"

_The brothers find themselves lost in the big city._

"Aw, crud! We got dropped off at the wrong place!" Hamma cried, kicking the ground with his boot.

"Why the heck is good help so dang hard to find these days?" Flare queried to the open air.

_And the sisters face money problems._

"Please, sir…we don't have enough money to pay you…but we'll find some way to get it done, I assure you!" To pleaded.

Looking at the Toads with a quizzical look, the taxi driver waved them off and continued on his way.

"That was so cold…" Too shuddered with a whimper. "We can't even afford to get a taxi here…how will we ever make it to the pit stop?"

_At first, the race started with twelve teams, and has now worked its way down to four. However, after the penultimate leg, only a fourth will stand to remain. Who will be eliminated next, and which one of the final three will ultimately be victorious? Find out…_

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Leg 11 Trivia 

- Originally, the Junctionleg choices went in the planning notebook as follows… The red route featured a Detour called "Bike" or "Strike," where the former option held in the form of "Going Up," and the latter was a task involving blasting rocks to locate a clue. The red route's Roadblock was the same. The blue route featured a Detour called "Mud" or "Thud," where both options remained unchanged with the exception of the names. The blue route's Roadblock, however, involved eating four chocolate bars of varying fillings.

- Another change was made for the end of the leg task—instead of the canoeing featured, it was originally supposed to be a tandem skydive from a plane to a plateau that was featured as the pit stop. However, the author scrapped it upon realizing that there had already been several similar tasks previously featured in the race. Additionally, he was also planning on changing "Going Up" to something else because tandem bicycles were too similar to Leg 10's extra task of riding bicycles to make deliveries; however, the few easy tweaks he made were enough to satisfy him into not changing it.

- There is a Dino Rhino as a greeter for this pit stop. Dino Rhinos and Mini Rhinos are native to the Choco Island of Dinosaur Land, but this rendition of Choco Island was based off of the Choco Islands and Mountain of Mario Kart fame (which, in turn, could also have been based off of the Dinosaur Land Choco Island, but I opted to go with something different).

- While at the pit stop, Miles mentions that he created the Junctionleg idea, and Blaise made the Hazard. In case it isn't obvious, Miles and Blaise are two Yoshi personas of the author, who was the one to come up with the two hosts, their antics, and obviously, those two exclusive race twists (as far as he knows, they're exclusive at the moment).

- For the second time in a row, the last non-elimination leg sees a female (coincidentally, both are teams of sisters) team lose all of their money—twin sisters Merluvlee and Merlee, or the "Mertwins" in TTYD1, and here, sisters To and Too in TTYD2.

- The author accidentally revealed that he places ideas in a planning notebook for the race for TTYD2, 3, 4, and 5. He never pre-planned for TTYD1; things came and were typed down as a spur-of-the-moment type of thing.

-----

Author's Note: Yes, I realize that the Junctionleg has a TON of kinks to work out of it. There's not much race to it when it only focused on the allies, but for the Glitz Pit boys…hoo-wee. Part of this plot device was meant for suspense, both to the teams and to the readers (viewers if it was a TV show). I was considering doing it in real time instead of split like it is now, but the whole point of the split up thing was to lose track in comparison to other teams. It sort of worked…although the last minute dash teams were revealed mid-leg…

Btw, I apologize to any readers who are allergic to chocolate that I might have offended with this location; please understand, Choco Island is part of the "Marioverse," so it was one of the places I chose to have the race visit. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable with all the chocolate talk and stuff…

As I said before in the previous chapter, I'm going to be starting another race project (after or during the TTYD series, I'm not clear of yet). For more details, you can either simply view Leg 10, or go to my profile—there's an extra bit of information there.

Anyways, with all of that now stated… Legs twelve and thirteen will be entered in as a two-part season finale, posted within a day or so of each other (not an hour, like TTYD1). So…if you want to find out who wins the Amazing Race 2: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door edition, I suggest that you stay tuned and come back! See ya around!


	14. Leg 12: Crashing Dreams, Neon Teams!

Author's Note: (Updated story on August 7, 2007). Hey, everyone...this is finally the penultimate leg of the race. It took a lot of work for me to get this chapter finished, but now that it is finally done, I am happy to say that TTYD2 is finished in terms of writing... This is only the calm before the storm...but what exactly happens to the four remaining teams during this leg? Who will be the final team eliminated? Read to find out, and please enjoy...

Review Answers:

**SSBFreak**: We shall just have to see who it turns out being, eh? I wonder if my thoughts are the same as yours, though...heheh...

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Loading the Memory Card in Slot B… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

Four teams of two boarded a charter bus that drove day and night back into the midst of the Naturfood region to Choco Island, in the middle of Darkmoat Lake. It was there that they discovered another twist to the race that would forcibly split the teams in two, preventing groups from seeing each other.

"'This is a Junctionleg. The teams will be split to accommodate certain paths that lead to the pit stop. You may only take from one clue box at a time; if you choose to switch, please replace all information and return to the proper clue box.'" To read.

_Following the red route, allied teams Shimi and Waitress, and To and Too, found trouble with the Detour with their suffering endurance._

"Oh, this is killer on my legs…it's getting so hard to pedal…" Waitress mumbled. "By the time I'm done with this, I'm going to have the best thighs of all the Toad workers on the Excess Express…"

"Good for you. I don't even have pies, er…thighs! Yeah, that's what I meant to say…"

"We've got to pace ourselves, or else we'll never make it without having to take rests." To stated. "Sis, let me do most of the pedaling for a while. You rest."

"Alright…" Too nodded weakly, relaxing her legs.

_Meanwhile on the blue route, the Glitzville guys took the Roadblock. Andy and Hamma both found it extremely time-consuming as a task, and the latter became very stressed out._

"Go for a strategic way around it." King encouraged. "Don't get all confused."

"Good idea…" Andy put the piece back onto the wall, making sure to press it in to make it stay. "I'll do it in rows…it might take a while, but I'm pretty sure I won't miss anything."

"You're taking too long, bro…you've only got one with writing on it?" Flare sounded. "That's pathetic!"

"Shut up, okay! This whole thing is luck-based, so I've got no control over it, hear me?!" Hamma retorted.

_However, both male teams managed to pass the Roadblock before the allied forces could ride their tandem bikes to the top of Choco Mountain, and reached the blue route's own Detour. While Andy and King went for the more sports-oriented task and revealed Andy's lack of aim with a tennis racket, Hamma and Flare opted to get down and dirty._

"Just hit it pillow-like and let the tense threads do your work, dawg. Nuthin' to it." King said, bouncing one of the chocolate balls into the front row. It hit a Piranha Plant, causing it to shrivel back down into its pipe.

"I'm afraid it's all going to be on your shoulders…" Andy said apologetically. "My aim isn't helping me on this task at all…"

"…Aw, man…" Flare groaned. "Well, this could be a messy job…I'm not sure I'm gonna like this later on when we're waiting at the pit stop…"

"Whatever, worry about that later." Hamma instructed. "This is here and now. Besides, do we ever get to jump into chocolate pits back home?"

Leaping in headfirst, the two brothers immediately came up, their faces covered in the dark chocolate.

_At the same time, Shimi and Too tackled the red route's Roadblock for their teams, which made them dive underwater to look for the valuable envelopes._

"Okay…I don't see a chest around here…did we search this part already?" Too asked.

"I'm not really all that sugar—er, sure…" Shimi mumbled. "Maybe we're swimming around in circles?"

_A risky maneuver by the brothers sent them out in front of their rival homeboys…_

"You're almost up with them, bro…just stay on their tail." Flare advised.

Shaking his head, Hamma chuckled. "Oh, no, I'll do better than that…you just watch."

Suddenly, the Hammer Brother made a daring maneuver—he passed the surprised homeboys by going on the left side of the street and zipped back into place right in front of them.

"What the heck?!" Andy stomped on the breaks and honked the horn as the brothers swerved in front.

_…but the best friends struck back, keeping pace through the final task of the leg and reaching the pit stop at the same time as their foes. However, due to the penalty, Andy and King were checked in first._

Disappointed that they hadn't managed to beat their rivals, but content with the fact that they at least didn't lose, the brothers went to stand off to the side, leaving the homeboys to stand alone on the mat.

"Because of that…" Miles turned back to the duo. "Andy and King, you're team number one!"

_Conversely, things started off sour between the allies in last place, who discovered that they would have to race against each other. However, their agreements to support each other overlooked the precarious situation, allowing for a friendly race to the pit stop without the risk of their alliance breaking. Shimi and Waitress somehow managed to claim the last safe spot, leaving To and Too in last._

"To and Too…as you know, you're the last team to arrive." Miles confirmed.

"We figured that out long ago, Miles." To joked.

"Just give us the news…and make it good, please." Too suggested.

Smirking, Miles nodded. "I'm pleased to tell you that this is the final of the three non-elimination legs, so you two are still in the race. However, I'll have to take away all of your money, and you won't be provided any by the race at the beginning of the next leg. Additionally, you're to start the twelfth leg with zero money to your name as you leave."

_However, a reprieve allowed them to stay in the race at the cost of their money._

Homeboys Score Victory; Sisters Saved

_Four teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?_

-----

_This is Choco Island, the source of over ninety-five percent of the Mushroom world's chocolate and chocolate products. It is located within the confines of Naturfood, in the same vicinity as Dairy Hills and Sugar Mountain. Within this large isle resides a wide variety of landforms, including a mountain range, lakes, rivers, tributaries, hills, plateaus, and plains. On the southern section of this grand atoll is Cocoa City, which sits on the very edge of the Darkmoat Lake, and serves as the capital residency of this important commercial center. On the outskirts of this town is where the Nutfree River flows freely into the lake, and on its other side, this small clearing that gives the clearest sea level view of the mainland. This picturesque location was the eleventh pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The four teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the next pit stop._

_After tying for a first place arrival with rival team Andy and King, but subsequently being forced out due to their penalty from several legs back, will Hamma and Flare make good on their vow to come back on this leg when it counts the most? Can To and Too pull out of last after being stripped of all their money? And exactly how will their allies Shimi and Waitress assist them to make it through what could potentially be one of the toughest legs yet?_

_Andy and King, who arrived at 9:01 A.M…_

"And a well-earned victory it is, dawg." King said, holding a thumbs up.

"Needless to say, we fought really hard to get this one…" Andy mentioned, his hand subconsciously reaching back to motion towards the brothers.

_…will depart at 9:01 P.M._

-----

In the darkness of the night, all of Choco Island, even the white parts, somewhat, seemed to be made purely of dark chocolate, down to the mountains from the rivers. It was definitely a sharp contrast to how the area appeared to the eyes during the daylight hours, when all of the colors could be perceived properly, and it was even possible to see through the chocolate shards on the trees. However, in the clearing that housed the pit stop, all of the trees looked the same—a group of regular, honest-to-goodness wooden trunks with leaves huddled together.

The middle of the obstruction-free chocolate zone was the location of the mat, which stuck out like a sore thumb, due to its glow of light. Nonetheless, that small bit of illumination was hardly anything, even with the help of the moon and stars painted above in the sky. That's why the first team had decided to bring their headlamps out with them to start the leg.

Andy was once again back in his green robes, but there was a repeat appearance of the matching green jacket that went over them. Similarly enough, King was reusing his orange hoodie for this departure, also.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 1****st**** to Depart, 9:01 P.M. (Nutfree River Clearing)**

Noticing that the time had arrived and it was okay to open the envelope, King cued his partner with a shake of the finger. Putting his headlight into its strongest flash, Andy tore off the paper strip that kept the covering closed. He slid the Route Info out from the wrapper.

"Here we go…" Andy said, clearing his throat. "'Drive yourselves to Choco Harbor and enter into Cacao Airport. From there, board a flight to Neon Heights, and travel by taxi to the monument, "The Statue of Liberation," where your next clue waits.'"

-----

Author's Note: Like in TTYD2, Legs 2, 7, and 9, this part of the race features an area that was used in the Mario Party series as a gaming board; in this case, Neon Heights is from Mario Party 7. The same clarification goes here—the game board is considered only a small part of the actual city, so teams will be visiting an area that has many of the same kinds of things that were seen on the board in the game.

-----

_Teams must now row back across the Nutfree River to their marked cars, and drive themselves 3 miles back to the main commercial location of Choco Island, Choco Harbor. They must then enter into Cacao Airport and board a flight that will take them approximately 7,576 miles to the large city of Neon Heights. This sprawling urban metropolis, comparable to Mushroom City in terms of size and appearance, is famous for being the origin of nearly all movies that enter into Mushroom world theaters, and serving as the home to countless numbers of beloved actors, actresses, and sports players. Once in this important entertainment district, teams will need to travel by taxi from Starshoot International Airport about 5 miles to reach this stone work of art in the middle of town, the Statue of Liberation. Created many years ago as a symbol to the Mushroom world's truce to the end of its ongoing wars, this monumental figure now sits in place, watching the peaceful times pass from its aged, weathered position atop its stand. It is here that teams will find their next clue._

"'Three teams have 128 Smash coins for this leg of the race; one team has zero.'" Andy concluded. "Alright, pal, gimme the news. How're we doing in terms of funds?"

King held the Smash bill up to the credit card and watched the money fly in. "Ain't lookin' too bad, dawg…got a good one an' fifty or so goin'. Bad thing comin', though—that big city charges crazy rates on yellows, so we might get depletion later on."

"You serious?" Andy raised an eyebrow. "Neon Heights is rich and famous as it is. Why would they need to charge so much on taxis?"

"How'dya think they got there?" King quizzed.

Understanding what his friend was getting at, Andy laughed and shook his head.

"It comes down to this leg to determine exactly who's in the final three, and I'm pretty sure we're definitely going to be there." Andy stated boldly. "But then again, it's easy to say it…we actually have to do it, and actually accomplishing that will probably take quite a great deal of effort from both of us. But, it's happened all too often that I'm the one dragging us down in tasks, like in the previous leg…and the leg before that…we can't afford to lose now just because of me struggling at doing something. So, this time, I'm definitely not going to screw up—we're making it into the final three whether everyone else likes it or not."

With their headlamps turned on bright to prevent them from bumping into anything, the two friends maneuvered their way through the path back to the Nutfree River, where the four canoes had been haphazardly parked the morning before onto the shore. They quickly located the one that they'd used, and hopped in, grabbing the oars. Then, they rowed across the large river.

"You think we'll make it through this one?" Andy asked hesitantly, as if even he didn't believe that there was a doubt about it.

King paused for a moment before responding. "Certainly think we will, dawg. All you gotta do is believe…we got a good shot, and it ain't bein' wasted."

The canoe reached the other side of the river, and the best friends jumped out. They walked up the small hill and across the street to the lot where their and the brothers' cars were parked, and got in.

"You see our flight out on the map?" King asked.

"Yeah." Andy replied, watching as the KP Koopa backed out in the darkness and started to drive forward. "I think the best route is going to be basically to follow this road all the way out of Cocoa City until we can find the side street that leads to Choco Harbor."

"Got it." King nodded, holding a thumbs up in view for his partner to see.

-----

Cacao Airport, like the rest of the buildings in the town of Choco Harbor, had been forged out of chocolate material—the bricks, the structure framework, even the lights were made out of the sweet stuff (not sure how the last one would exactly be possible). Unlike most of the major public buildings, however, it was still running pretty smoothly; the occasional airplane could still be seen flying in to a stop on the runway.

After navigating the streets, the frontrunner team arrived at the main parking lots of the airport. The two team members hurriedly clambered out of their 4 by 4, pulled their backpacks from the trunk, and headed towards the nearest doors.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cacao Airport, Main Hall)**

"Doesn't look like there are all too many workers hanging out tonight…" Andy mused, looking around. There were hardly any people behind the counters. "Think we should go for one of the agents, or the computers?"

"I say the agents first; they got the scoop." King chose.

"Alright…"

The two approached one of the information counters that was still being manned. Looking up from her game of Solitaire, she quickly shook the hair out of her eyes and tried to look decent.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Uh…yeah…as a matter of fact, you can." Andy said, looking at the Toad. "My friend and I are looking to get to Neon Heights, and we need to get on the fastest flight you have."

"Fastest flight to Neon Heights…sure thing," the Toad woman responded, starting to type into her computer and clicking the mouse a few times. "Okay. There's nothing leaving tonight, sadly enough, but there are some flights leaving tomorrow morning."

"Name 'em off." King said, taking out a notepad and pencil.

"Mushroom International 380, leaving at 7:30 A.M. and arriving at 5:40 A.M. World Flyer 42, leaving at 6:45 A.M. and arriving at 5:00 A.M. Koopa Air 903, leaving at 10:20 A.M. and arriving at 9:35 A.M. Cloud—"

"Is there anything you know of that's earlier than World Flyer's arrival?" Andy interrupted.

"Anything earlier than World Flyer 42…" the Toad repeated, searching the screen. "As far as I'm aware, no. That appears to be the fastest thing we've got."

"Perfect." Andy nodded. "Thank you very much. Do you know if they still happen to be open tonight?"

Tapping her head with her pointer finger, the Toad woman tried to think. "I'm not really sure…I think that most of the agents have already left. You can go see if you would like."

"Thanks."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 2****nd**** to Depart, 9:31 P.M. (Nutfree River Clearing)**

Once again, the two brothers were clad in their respective green and red hoodies. Their helmets were fastened tightly about their heads.

"We've gotta make up for lost time now." Hamma stated, opening the Route Info. "'Drive yourselves to Choco Harbor and enter into Cacao Airport…'"

"Somehow, those two minor leaguers lucked out and beat us in the last leg. We're getting back at them on this one. It's just too bad that there aren't any Yields or anything back here, because if it were the last one, we would've saved it to use on here. I hate to say it, but Andy and King are our main threats in this competition." Hamma admitted. "They've gotta go…it'd be so much easier on us to know in the final leg that they're out of our hair when we're fighting to overcome that final penalty."

"128 Smash for us…the sisters got none." Flare commented, depositing the money into the credit card. "I seriously think we should try and help them so they can get through, and the minors will come in last."

"They've got their support coming in from Shim-stress." Hamma waved dismissively. "Besides, if we just focus in on taking the minors out ourselves, those weaklings can get by just enough for our rivals to be eliminated."

"Well, alright." Flare shrugged.

Walking back to the Nutfree River, the two rowed back across in their canoe, abandoned it, and headed back to their marked car.

"Tell me how to get to Cacao Airport." Flare commanded, slamming the car door.

"The best route should probably be heading down one of the side streets…"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cacao Airport, World Flyer Counter)**

"Nope…they're closed for the night." King observed, seeing the empty desk. "Guess we just chill here 'til the birds chirp, dawg."

"Yeah…it's our only viable option." Andy agreed. "Though, I don't think we should stick around just to clue the others in on our flight."

"Let's get elsewhere in a hurry, then."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Cacao Airport, Main Hall)**

"The place looks closed down. We should just sleep here so we don't lose any time tomorrow morning." Hamma suggested.

"I guess." Flare muttered, dropping his backpack on a nearby chair.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 3****rd**** to Depart, 9:47 P.M. (Nutfree River Clearing)**

Somehow, Shimi had on a perfectly tailored red jacket that perfectly matched his brownish body color. A blue baseball cap with the inscription, "Fish Swim, You Sink!" rested on top of his head backwards, with the bill facing back. Waitress was wearing jeans, a regular white T-shirt that had the words "Ideal Girl, Idol Woman" written across the chest, a purple jacket, and oddly enough, a bit of glitter in her hair, which was back in the duo ponytail.

"Let's wait for it's time for them to open before we do." Waitress suggested, motioning towards the sisters, who were standing off of the mat.

"Now that we're on the second-to-last leg, it's more important than ever for our alliance to hold strong and fast. We have to support the Toad girls with everything we've got, since they have no money, and this next leg is the deciding factor in who goes on, and who doesn't. I really hope that both of our teams make it." Waitress explained openly. "But if Shimi and I end up being the only members of the original alliance that end up moving on, that's okay…we'll have three teams rooting us on."

Moving off of the world map, the train employees allowed their allies to get on.

**To & Too: Sisters- Last to Depart, 9:48 P.M. (Nutfree River Clearing)**

Going for simplicity this time with their apparel, the sisters were merely wearing matching respective pink and green T-shirts and jeans. To's hair was done back in a pair of two pink braids, while Too's locks were left to hang down freely. In spite of the lack of feminine touch that they usually had, the two seemed as bright and bubbly as ever, optimistic even in spite of their situation.

"Well…everyone has 128 except us." To remarked.

"Make it 64." Shimi said, transferring said amount from their credit card.

"Are you guys sure you still have enough?" Too asked worriedly.

"Don't agonize on it." Waitress shook her head. "We still have over a 100. It's you that we're worried about."

"Neither of us are really sure on how we should get back to thanking Shim-stress on this…they helped us out quite a bit over the course of the race. But to be sharing money, that's like pretty much saying 'We want you guys to be able to race against us in the final three.' Of course, we know it's true, but seriously, when would you even see anything like this on such a race?" Too asked rhetorically. "It's pretty unheard of…but we're lucky to have worked together with such friendly allies. That's why we're not wasting a single coin they give us."

Heading over to the two remaining canoes, the allied teams rowed back across Nutfree River and got back inside of their marked vehicles.

"We call lead to the airport!" To informed, leaning out of the window.

"Wouldn't have it any other day." Shimi smirked, bending his fin like a thumbs up.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Cacao Airport, Main Hall)**

Upon entering the airfield, the four immediately passed by the already-asleep Hamma and Flare, who were taking up several seats on the row, sleep bubbles protruding from their noses.

"Looks like the Ham-bros. aren't having any problems…" Waitress rolled her eyes, while To and Too giggled.

"I say we search on their computers for what we can find." To suggested.

"Just like the old days." Too added.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cacao Airport, Tourist Center)**

Just as they were getting ready to turn in for the night, the homeboys noticed two other teams quietly moving towards the Internet café.

"They're going to search for flight options on those computers again…" Andy noted. "Hopefully if they find the same one that we got, the Ham-bros. will be blocked off…"

"Wishes can always come true." King shrugged.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Cacao Airport, Main Hall)**

After quite a bit of extensive searching, the two teams had finally stumbled upon the information they needed.

"Not too many seats left on World Flyer 42…seems like we have a good shot for this leg." Too remarked, reserving two pairs of tickets.

"That's a relief." Shimi stated.

"Yeah. Well, we better head over near that counter and check things out…if there isn't anyone there, we'll just have to sleep in front of it." Waitress muttered.

**5:30 A.M.**

In the dim early morning, the sun's corona began to show its first signs above the Naturfood region. Upon the arrival of light, employee cars started to pull into the parking lot of Cacao Airport, as ticket agents began to take their places for the long day ahead of them. Needless to say, seeing a party sleeping in front of his counter was somewhat of a surprise for a certain one of the agents…

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Cacao Airport, World Flyer Counter)**

It had only taken a matter of minutes for the group to freshen up; after doing so, they bunched in front of the counter.

"Good morning, sir…we'd like four tickets for World Flyer 42 to Neon Heights, please." Waitress requested.

"Closest seats to the front of economy class if you can." To added.

Typing into his computer, the Koopa nodded absentmindedly and got to work printing the boarding passes.

"Alright. Here you go."

(Shimi & Waitress- 1st on World Flyer 42)

(To & Too- 2nd on World Flyer 42)

"Awesome." Too said, distributing the tickets among her friends.

"Cool jeans!" Shimi exclaimed.

The Koopa looked down, a red blush immediately flushing across his cheeks.

"Wha—but I'm not wearing jeans today, I'm wearing my boxe—"

A sweat bead appeared over the Koopa's head as he looked up to find a sheepish Waitress awkwardly covering Shimi's large fish lips, To and Too giggling like crazy behind her.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Cacao Airport, World Flyer Counter)**

"Great…there are still spaces left for us." Andy breathed a sigh of relief. "I forgot that the other two always do their reservations over the computer…they might've taken our only chance to get on this…"

(Andy & King- 3rd on World Flyer 42)

"Sure is good, eh?" King turned to the agent. "'Bout how many more ya got on economy, dawg?"

"Uh…only two more free spaces," replied the Koopa.

"Awesome…" Andy murmured. "That's not enough for them and their recording crew…we got this now."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Cacao Airport, Main Hall)**

"So you're saying the fastest flight to Neon Heights is World Flyer 42, right?" Flare repeated.

"Yes, it is," replied the Toad woman (a different one from the night before that Andy and King had dealt with, however). "But I'm afraid that there aren't enough seats for all of you."

Hamma slammed his fist down into the palm of his other hand. "Dang! I knew we shouldn't have fallen…GRAH!"

"Bro, shut up! We can still try and get on standby!" Flare reminded. "Those girls got lucky back a few weeks; we could repeat it, too!"

Succumbing to his brother's pleading pulls, Hamma allowed himself to be dragged along the ground, up the escalator, and across the second floor.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Cacao Airport, World Flyer Counter)**

"Oh, come on! We need to get on this!" Flare growled.

"Er…sorry, sir…" the Koopa grimaced. He knew that if he wasn't going to at least try, things could get ugly…judging by the Fire Brother's tone of voice. "I-I'll put you on standby, b-but nothing c-can be guaranteed…"

"I know that, stupid." Flare hissed, leaning closer over the counter. "Listen. This is to us, a life-or-death situation. Do your best to get us on this flight."

Sweating heavily, the Koopa slowly nodded.

"Oh. And don't even think about calling security. We'll be staying out of your way." Flare added.

Moaning, he nodded again.

"Flare, quit wasting your time! If there's no way we can get on this flight, we'll just have to reserve tickets on a later one before it gets full up, too!" Hamma ordered. "Come on!"

-----

**Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Cacao Airport, World Flyer 42 Flight)**

"Well…this is pretty familiar…" Andy remarked, noting that the flight was now behind schedule. "We haven't even taken off yet…"

"Bet those guys stood by and're on an agent's tail." King suggested. "Good enough reason for me."

"Heh, I guess…"

"They must be freaking out right now…" To murmured, overhearing the conversation going on behind her. "At least it's not us this time, right?"

"Definitely…that had to be the scariest thing ever." Too agreed.

"The closest flight to ours arrived like forty minutes afterward." Waitress recalled. "If they have to get on that one, we probably know that we're safe…there's no way we could lose enough time for them to actually gain a considerable lead."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Cacao Airport, World Flyer Counter)**

To make a long story short, the Koopa finally called the two up to the desk and handed them a set of tickets.

"Y-You're on…you just might want to hurry t-to the terminal…the pilot is waiting…" the Koopa said nervously.

(Hamma & Flare- Last on World Flyer 42)

"All right!" Flare shouted, pumping his fast into the air. "Thanks, guy!"

"Now we got our shot to kick some minor league butt!" Hamma exclaimed.

Plowing their way through security, the two brothers ran in a full-fledged sprint for the terminal that hosted their plane.

-----

**Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Cacao Airport, World Flyer 42 Flight)**

"We apologize for the inconvenience, but the problem we had has now been fixed, and we will be departing shortly. Thank you for your patience," came the voice of a female over the intercom.

"Sounds like they were either defied or accepted…" Shimi muttered.

"You mean 'denied,' right?" Waitress corrected.

"Er…yeah! That's it! 'Defied!'"

The sisters giggled again as Waitress slapped her forehead.

"Looks like the gang's all here…" said King.

There, standing in the aisle with their backpacks, were a tired Hamma and Flare. They made their way over to their seats, and with the help of a flight attendant, loaded their luggage into the overhead compartments before sitting down.

"That…was too close…" Flare said, his breath steadying as he regained his composure.

"Yeah…but we're still in the running." Hamma smirked.

The brothers looked over at the homeboys. A silent 'glad-you-could-make-it' type of conversation started brewing in their eyes.

-----

**(World Flyer 42- Departing at 6:54 A.M.)**

As the eight racers settled in for another long period of travel, they started preparing themselves by plotting for strategies. They all knew—this one was where it counted.

_This is the sole flight carrying teams from Choco Island to Neon Heights, scheduled for brief stopovers in both Cheese Land and Vegetarianville. Aboard are all four teams—best friends Andy and King, brothers Hamma and Flare, train coworkers Shimi and Waitress, and sisters To and Too._

-----

When not viewed in its nighttime splendor, Neon Heights looked vaguely different. The lights that would normally be flickering in the dark were all off. Very few cars were roaming about the streets in the morning radiance, so activity seemed much slower than the norm that could be seen at its peak in the evening hours.

Like the rest of the mega city, Starshoot International Airport was relatively slow in the buildup to the daylight. Only a small handful of people were walking around inside, and hardly even any employees were there. The very first plane of the morning pulled into the runway with the few personnel that were actually there.

**(World Flyer 42- Arriving at 5:38 A.M.)**

Running late by about half of an hour due to its late departure and extended layovers, the flight finally connected to the airport terminal, allowing its passengers access to an exit.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Starshoot International, Terminal S7)**

"Hurry, we've gotta be first to grab taxis out of here!" To urged.

The very first to get out of the plane, the allied teams dashed through the connection hallway, backpacks frantically bobbing side to side as they ran.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Starshoot International, Terminal S7)**

Emerging next from the airplane, the homeboys quickly took chase after the frontrunners, knowing that they didn't have much time on the last place duo.

"We can overtake 'em! Come on!" Andy advocated.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Starshoot International, Terminal S7)**

"Crud! Last out!" Hamma shouted, stepping out into the actual terminal.

"They all went in that direction!" Flare pointed. "Keep movin'!"

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Starshoot International, Taxi Queue)**

Materializing from the airport in first, the two teams were quick to interview the two closest taxi drivers to the entrance.

"Sir, we need to get to the 'Statue of Liberation,' fast as possible, please." Waitress requested.

"You do know how to get to the Statue of Liberation, right?" Too inquired.

Upon receiving affirmatives from the cab drivers, the two teams hurriedly shoved their backpacks into the trunks and jumped in.

**Andy & King / Hamma & Flare (Starshoot International, Taxi Queue)**

A wrong turn by the homeboys resulted in the two Glitz Pit teams coming out of the airport at the same time. However, they ignored each other as they checked out the remaining cabs.

"We gotta get to the Statue of Liberation, dawg." King informed. "Faster you go, the better."

"Whatever you do, don't let that cab in front of us beat you—pass them whenever you find the opportunity." Hamma carefully instructed.

Somehow, the brothers loaded in and sped off first, making Hamma's direction null and void as their rivals left behind them.

-----

As a monument in memory of the Mushroom world's vow to peace, the Statue of Liberation was definitely an admirable piece of work. It was built upward in a spiral fashion, with various famed items clustered around the sides like a tornado of fame—a Mushroom, a Starman, a Fire Flower—numerous things littered the spiraling structure right before the earth itself was placed at the top.

Due to the statue being located in a grassy field, there was no problem in accessing it—the first taxi pulled up to the curb, followed shortly by the second. Their occupants hurried out and took care of business before running over.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1****st**** (Neon Heights, Statue of Liberation)**

Grabbing an envelope from the clue box, To tore it open while Too tossed one to their approaching allies.

"'Make your way to Technician's Tower.'" To read.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Neon Heights, Statue of Liberation)**

"'Locate your next clue in the front lobby.'" Waitress finished.

_Teams must now make their way 6 miles to this 15-story building, known as Hollyshroom Set Construction, but informally as Technician's Tower. This office structure's main purpose is to create, provide, and supply the various sets of Neon Heights with the equipment and background pieces they order for their diverse creations. Here, in the lobby of this tall tower, teams will find their next clue._

"Aw, no! Our taxis are making their getaway!" Shimi pointed over at the retreating cabs.

"We'll just have to hurry and find some others." Too stated. "Hurry, I think I see the other teams coming up fast!"

As the foursome hurried off to attempt grabbing two more passerby taxis on the opposite side of the field, another taxi pulled up to where they'd disembarked.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 3****rd**** (Neon Heights, Statue of Liberation)**

"Dang, that's an expensive ride!" Flare complained. "Are we going to even have enough money to make it?"

"Forget the money!" Hamma said, shoving the Route Info into Flare's face. "Read!"

"Gah, alright, alright!" Flare brushed the paper off. "'Make your way to Technician's Tower. Locate your next clue in the front lobby.'"

Noting that the others were having a hard time trying to get attention from the few cars patrolling about, the brothers smirked.

"We just got a leg up on the competition, telling our driver to stay." Hamma commented. "Come on!"

By the time the brothers were safely back in their cab and dishing out information on the next destination, the last team taxi parked.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Neon Heights, Statue of Liberation)**

"Stay here, 'kay?" Andy requested.

The Big Bandit rushed across the field to meet up with his partner in front of the bust.

"Where are we going, King?" Andy asked curiously.

"Technician's Tower. Ever hear of it?" King questioned.

"Nope, can't say I have. We'll learn about it soon enough."

Hastening back to their taxi, the homeboys wasted no time in getting in.

"Next stop, Technician's Tower." Andy stated.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Neon Heights, Statue of Liberation)**

It was several minutes after the departure of Andy and King's taxi until another familiar cab even passed by. The group quickly hailed it down.

"There's not enough room on this one for all of us…oh, great…" Waitress sighed.

"Yeah, and there are also very few cabs even circulating around town at this hour." To added.

"How about if you guys take it?" Shimi suggested.

"What? Us?" To repeated.

"No way. We couldn't do that." Too shook her head.

"After they lent us money for the leg, there wasn't any way we were really going to let them force us into using the taxi that easily." Too remarked. "I mean, they already sacrificed their money for us…would it really be such a good idea to sacrifice their chances as well?"

"One of us needs to get a lead and try to catch up with them." Waitress pointed out. "Seriously, we can't waste time arguing over this; just get in!"

Sighing in defeat, the sisters loaded in their bags and hopped into the taxi.

"Technician's Tower, please." To directed the driver.

"Are you guys really sure about this?" Too asked.

"Yes, don't worry about it." Waitress said impatiently. "Hurry up and go!"

"We'll find another taxi to confide in." Shimi reassured.

A bit after the sisters had disappeared from view, the Excess Express employees spotted another taxi and tried to hail it down, but to no avail—it was full. However, shortly afterwards, they discovered another one that was empty, and hopped in.

"Let's just hope we didn't lose too much time." Waitress murmured.

-----

Technician's Tower appeared to the untrained eye just as any old regular office building that would be found in an ordinary city. However, there were a few exterior differences that made it notable, including the wide automatic front doors, the extra space in front of said doors for large trucks to park, and the drab coloration. It was as if there had been no attempt made for the building to stand out; it was just a humble area for sets to be built.

The first of the taxis parked in the small overpass in front of the automatic doors, and the team jumped out after paying and retrieving their bags.

"We're probably coming back, so please just hang around for a bit."

Storming the front lobby, the team quickly stumbled upon the clue box in front of the desk.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Technician's Tower, First Floor Lobby)**

Ripping open the envelope, Andy took out the Route Info.

"'Head to the top floor and choose one of the marked tables. You will be required to assemble fifteen wooden walls for a replica before you can receive your next clue.'"

_Teams must now partake in one of the tasks that most Neon Heights workers have more or less done at least once in their careers—building props. After choosing one of these marked tables, teams will be shown an example of a small amphitheater replica, and the parts used to build the wall. They must then don gloves and proceed to glue together the wooden sticks needed to duplicate enough pieces for fifteen walls. Once that is done, teams will receive their next clue._

"Alright…sounds pretty easy, dawg." King stated. "There are the lifties!"

Running over to one of the elevators, the best friends patiently waited for one to come down and pick them up. Although Andy initially somehow met a problem stepping in with his backpack, they both were able to board and push the buttons for the top floor.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Techno Power Disco, Main Entrance)**

"What? Are you sure this is the place?"

"Positive. It's where you told me to go."

Standing there dumbfounded as the taxi sped off, the brothers' eyes traveled over the sign above the building in front of them.

"Aw, crud! We got dropped off at the wrong place!" Hamma cried, kicking the ground with his boot. "What kind of stupid mistake was that? I was perfectly clear when I said where we needed to go!"

"Why the heck is good help so dang hard to find these days?" Flare queried to the open air. "That was a waste of time and money!"

"Well, come on! Don't just sit there; we gotta get another taxi to take us to the right place!" Hamma ushered.

"I'm goin', I'm goin'!" Flare responded irately.

It took a bit, but the angry brothers finally managed to capture the attention of a taxi and get it to stop.

"Technician's Tower!" Flare barked. "Step on it!"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

Exiting out from the elevator, the best friends stopped upon noticing that they'd entered into a room that appeared to be making a set for a school play of some sort—the colors were vibrant and happy, and everything was made out of cardboard. They spotted the marked tables and chose one to work at. A supervisor quickly hurried over to them.

"You're here for this task, right?" the Toad asked, receiving affirmative nods. "Good, good… Okay. This is pretty simple. You see that small amphitheater here at your workstation?"

The two friends looked over to their table, which had a small theater with an approximate one-foot radius sitting there. It was painted, but upon further inspection, it was possible to see that it had been crafted out of wood and adhered together with nails and glue.

"You're going to have to build fifteen of the walls exactly like those, except no nails—just glue. You've been provided with the dimensions and the assembly structure you need on the posted paper there…" the Toad pointed his pencil towards a sheet on the workstation. "…And you'll be able to use as much wood as you need, cutting it with the tools you've been provided. Any questions?"

"Nope. We'll get started on it right away." Andy assured.

"Good. I'll leave you to your work."

As the Toad shuffled away, the homeboys gave their paper a good look over. It listed the materials needed (which was basically just wood and glue), the dimensions of the sticks, and how to glue them together.

"I think we oughta cut 'em all first." King suggested.

"Great thinking; that's exactly what I was planning." Andy revealed.

With a smirk, the two rushed over to the supply of wooden boards, which were extremely long, but only about a fourth of an inch wide and an eighth of an inch thick, and grabbed some before heading back to their station and picking up the rulers and scissors.

**To & Too: Sisters (Technician's Tower, Entrance)**

Upon getting out of their taxi, the sisters paid the driver and rushed to the trunk to grab their backpacks. Unbeknownst to them, however, when inputting how much money to withdraw from their credit card, they had slipped up on one of the numbers, and handed over ten more coins than they should have. It didn't seem like much to the driver—he definitely noticed, but didn't say anything as he drove off. However, their credit card's fund had quickly dwindled down to less than a third of what they originally had.

Not realizing their mistake, the girls ran through the doors into the lobby and spied the clue box.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Technician's Tower, First Floor Lobby)**

"'Head to the top floor and choose one of the marked tables. You will be required to assemble fifteen wooden walls for a replica before you can receive your next clue.'" To read. "Wooden walls? That doesn't sound too bad…"

"I just hope it doesn't take too long." Too murmured.

Heading for the elevators, the Toad girls pressed the button and waited for one to take them up.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 3****rd**** (Technician's Tower, First Floor Lobby)**

"Building walls for a replica…that sounds just great for a task." Waitress sighed. "I don't know anything about construction work…"

"I'm sure it won't be too sad." Shimi assured. "Let's just check it out."

Sighing again, Waitress shrugged. "Well, alright…"

Like the teams before them, the workers took an elevator to the top floor.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Neon Heights, Discord Avenue)**

Riding along in their taxi, the brothers angrily stared out the windows at the passing scenery.

"This is just so wrong! I bet we're in last because that stupid other driver took us to the wrong place and wouldn't even listen!" Flare growled. "We cannot be going out this leg!"

"If we got lucky, one of the other teams might have taxi problems." Hamma stated. "It should hopefully give us enough time to catch up and possibly even get a lead."

"I hope so…" Flare responded.

-----

**Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

In the work area, the three teams were busily trying to reconstruct the fifteen walls at their workstations. The homeboys had already cut all of the wood they had needed, and the other two teams, taking the idea that the friends had already used, were also cutting all of their wood into pieces at one time.

"Er…this glue is really sticky…" Andy muttered, shaking one of the pieces off of his glove. "Why couldn't they just provide us with regular old wood glue instead of this stuff?"

"It sticks to ya like a cactus…prob'ly the whole point of the challenge to waste the ticks." King replied, prying one of the small sticks off of his own glove.

"Yeah, well, it's kind of annoying." Andy added, pressing the group of sticks together before gluing on a small brace.

"I sure hope that we can get this done quickly…" To murmured, making several marks on a long stick with a pencil and ruler.

"The Ham-bros. aren't here yet." Too mentioned, cutting at her sister's marks. "That's a really good sign for us."

"Yeah, but how long until they actually get here?" Waitress asked from the adjacent station. "We have to capitalize on this lead before they manage to catch up. Shimi, the scissors, please."

"Here you go." Shimi said, placing the scissors near his partner's hands. He then got back to work using one of the bigger cutting machines to slice the wood, several sticks at a time.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Neon Heights, 31****st**** Street)**

"We're approaching Technician's Tower," announced the driver.

"This better be the right one this time…" Flare muttered peevishly.

-----

**Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

At this point, the best friends were still holding onto their lead, having created eight of the miniature walls, while the other two teams had only just started piecing their wooden structures together. By the looks of things, cutting the wood in groups had allowed Shimi and Waitress to pull ahead of the sisters, but only slightly; the girls were making up time by working with their fast hands.

"This thing keeps on getting stuck to my fin!" Shimi exclaimed, shaking the glued stick off of his gloved appendage. "How do builders work with wood if materials flick—er, stick to them like glue?"

"They don't work with this type, that's for sure…" Waitress muttered with disgust. "If they did, they'd fall behind on their work schedules."

"Okay, so it's five sticks per wall, and we hold them together with another two pieces of wood…we should glue them together first and then mark for the braces." To decided.

"Alright…" Too nodded, and started to group the large pile of long sticks into fives.

"Hopefully the others will dry in time for them to be presentable when we're done…" Andy remarked, brushing more glue onto the stick he was holding.

"Don't worry…by the sights of things…they dry instantly." King replied dryly, pulling a stuck stick from his glove.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Technician's Tower, First Floor Lobby)**

"Looks like that driver was right on the money." Hamma stated, taking an envelope from the clue box. "We're in the right place."

"Yeah, and I think we're last." Flare retorted. "Just read it so we can catch up already."

Rolling his eyes, the Hammer Brother opened the Route Info. "…Blah blah…okay. We apparently have to build some walls out of wood on the top floor…but it'd be so much easier just to knock some down…"

"Tch, right." Flare agreed mockingly.

The duo hurried over to the elevators.

**Andy & King / Hamma & Flare / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

As another elevator arrived and opened on the top floor, only a select few turned to look.

"Well, they're here now…" Waitress noted. "Shimi, we need to pick up the pace."

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Shimi assured, holding a wall together while it dried.

Walking over to the workstations, the brothers were left to go with the only remaining open one, which was fortunately enough, on the opposite side from the rival homeboys. Seeing them, the Toad instructor quickly rushed over from his work near a set that was currently under construction, and started sputtering out the explanation.

"Only three more…" King mumbled. "We got this, dawg…they all just gotta be up to standards."

"When it's made of wood, I'm not sure how 'high' the standards for a model are." Andy replied modestly, motioning towards the example sitting in front of them.

"But look at the detail." King reasoned.

"Whatever…we're not woodcrafters, bud." Andy wiggled his finger. "Let's just stick to the simple walls, alright?"

"You know it."

"Quickly, sis! If we keep on letting these things get stuck to our gloves instead of to each other, we're going to lose too much time!" To said fitfully.

"I'm on it!" Too declared, placing the marks on a slab of five sticks before slapping on their braces. "But we can't rush, though—or else we might have to do some over."

After about a minute, the Toad supervisor was finished with his speech and hurried back to his work, leaving the brothers sitting there.

"Um…all right…I guess we get started, then." Hamma muttered. "How much wood do you think we'll need?"

"I don't know…let's just cut as much as we think we should and then come back for some more later!" Flare suggested haphazardly.

Using the large slicing machine, the two brothers were able to quickly measure out their sticks and cut them in groups, and in no time, were back at their workstation, piecing the twigs together. Conversely, over at the best friends' table, Andy put the finishing touches on what he hoped to be the fifteenth completed wall.

"Okay, we're done!" he exclaimed.

"Some help over here!" King added.

This got the attention of the supervisor back. He quickly walked over, scribbling a few notes in his notepad, before stopping to look over all of the walls. He even had to place the pencil on his cap and the notepad in his pocket as he carefully handled each and every wooden flat, checking to make sure that they had been made correctly. When he was satisfied, he put the last one down and nodded.

"Your task here is complete," the Toad stated, presenting an envelope from his jacket.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"Sweet! Thanks, dawg!" King exclaimed gratefully.

"Seriously, thank you." Andy reassured.

The two went over and pressed the button for an elevator. Upon stepping into the doors of an arrival, they then opened the clue.

"'Detour. "Super Route" or "Act It Out." How will you go about the city?'" Andy read.

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have a choice between two activities commonly done by actual actors and actresses that work in the filming industry. "Super Route" and "Act It Out."_

_In "Super Route," teams will take on one of the side jobs of performers, commonly done as extra money, testing for companies, or practice stunts for the actual set. They will have to utilize several different power-ups to deliver three packages at three points at the very edges of the city. To do so, they will be prohibited from using vehicles, and instead, will be forced to access an unlimited wealth of different items that can help them clear the many obstacles that stand in their way, including tall buildings, lakes, and the cars driving in the streets. They will need to travel 4 miles to the Power-Ups Delivery Agency to obtain the trove holding their items, as well as the three packages. After receiving the signatures of the three recipients, they will need to bring the clipboard back to the building, where they will receive their next clue._

_In "Act It Out," teams will actually tackle the task of the famous numbers of performers that produce films in Neon Heights. First, they will have to travel 8 miles to this well-known place: Battlestroke Studios, the filming center that spawned several particularly successful movie series when in its prime. Here, they will be allowed to dress up in as many genuine clothes as they want before they head out onto the set, and perform one of the race's actual few "non-100 percent guaranteed-safe" tasks—playing improvisational roles in a 5-minute action short of their choice involving various themes. With no set script to adhere to and real effects going on around them, the teams' only mission will be to play their parts and remain safe. If they manage to pull it off, the directors will hand them their next clue._

"Aw, this is such an easy choice." King shook his head skeptically.

When the elevator doors opened with their trademark 'ding!' both team members stepped out.

"'Act It Out!'" exclaimed Andy and King simultaneously.

Heading outside, the two managed to flag down a passing cab, since their previous one had already left.

**Hamma & Flare / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"Great…now they're out in front…that pretty much eliminates our chances of not having them in the top three…" Flare muttered regretfully.

"We still have a chance to at least ensure that we're in it, bro." Hamma reminded. "And we're gonna take it."

"Right on!"

While the brothers were still quite literally 'stuck' on their first two walls, things were running along a bit smoother for the other two teams, who had gotten the gist of it. They were keeping a relatively even pace—Shimi and Waitress stood at eight, while To and Too were on their seventh.

"We really have our work cut out for us on this one…" Waitress muttered. "This is really irritating to have the pieces keep sticking to your hand…"

"We're executing it correctly so that the head falls off!" Shimi exclaimed.

"…What? What does that have to do with anything?" Waitress asked, eyebrow raised.

"…Did I just say something sheared—er, weird?"

"…No." Waitress responded. "…No, of course not…why would you do that?"

"We might need to re-glue some of these…" To mumbled, fumbling with one of the walls. "The sticks don't feel like they're bound together…"

"We'll have to do it in a sec…once we're done, we can get actual confirmation on which ones." Too suggested.

"All right. Sounds like a good idea…"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Neon Heights, 2****nd**** Street)**

"I'm betting that one of the other teams will be calling that supervisor over to them any minute now…" Andy mumbled. "We can't afford to relinquish our lead now. You think this guy's going the right way?"

"Certainly hope my money'd be on the mark, dawg." King responded.

Nervously looking out the windows at the morning streets behind them, the homeboys only stole a glance at the driver, who was struggling with a GPS system.

-----

**Hamma & Flare / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"Just two more!" Shimi called out. "We're nearly done!"

"Shimi, hold on…" Waitress muttered, shaking a wall off of the side of her hand.

"We gotta speed this up if we want to catch up with them…" Hamma mumbled nervously. "Come on, bro…"

"I can't!" Flare snapped.

"What're you talking about? Yes, you can!" Hamma shouted.

"No, we can't. We need to get more wood!" Flare pointed at the workstation, which was full of messy wooden walls.

"Argh, for crying out loud!" Hamma growled. "Well, don't just sit there! Let's go cut it!"

"Almost done…" Too announced, holding another wall together before setting it aside.

"Good…hopefully we'll be able to break away from the brothers, then…" To whispered.

"DONE!"

Looking up, the supervisor hurried over to the finished team and quickly examined all of their wooden walls. He gave them a small smile and dropped a clue envelope on their table before rushing back off.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"I guess that means we're done." Waitress stated, tearing off the gloves. "What's it say, Shimi?"

"'Detour. "Pooper Flute" or "Bile Doubt." How will—"

Waitress quickly snatched the Detour folder out of her partner's hands and read it over.

"Actually, it's 'Super Route' or 'Act It Out.'" Waitress corrected.

"Good luck, guys! We'll catch up with you as fast as we can!" To assured.

"Alright!"

The Excess Express employees rushed into the elevator and selected the button for ground floor.

"Which one should we do?" Shimi queried.

"…Oh. My. Gosh. I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE IN A MOVIE!" Waitress screamed exuberantly. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! We're SO doing 'Act It Out,' even if it's just a lame-brain action clip!"

"…Let me confess…you would've wanted romance?"

"How'd you know?"

"…Lucky guess."

As the elevator doors opened back up, an elated Waitress literally skipped towards the front doors, singing merrily along the way. Shimi murmured something about "girls" under his breath before flopping to catch her outside, only to find she'd already claimed a taxi.

"Come on, Shimi! We can't waste any time!" Waitress exclaimed, heaving her partner into the cab by the fin.

"Whoa!"

**Hamma & Flare / To & Too (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"It's just them against us now…we've gotta catch up, or else we're dead!" Hamma muttered roughly, slamming the sharp edge down against the set of sticks.

"Okay, we're nearly there." Too said, holding together the second-to-last wall.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Neon Heights, 44****th**** Street)**

"Y'know…I've always wondered the differences between Glitz fame and movie fame…" King muttered.

"I'm not too sure they'll televise footage of us doing a few stunts or anything." Andy replied.

"Yeah, but…ever think 'bout what we do is real?" King continued. "Usually, actin' in those is fake…I think."

"…Even if it is, remember what the folder read, though?" Andy reminded. "Eheh…it's not just play-acting for this one…and I'm not looking forward to ending up in the hospital."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Neon Heights, Spangle Avenue)**

Inside of the taxi, Shimi simply stared in disbelief as his jumpy partner kept on talking about her childhood dreams as an actress. He'd already tried to get her to stop several times before she blabbed to the cameras, but of course, since they were always filming (merely edited), it was no use.

"…and it was always a dream to play a princess in one of those giant castles with those awesomely tall towers!" Waitress exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with glee. "I wonder what kind of prompt we might get for this action scene, because if it's one where the prince picks up the princess and runs for a fire or something, I'd be happy to oblige…"

"…Out. Of. Character." Shimi said bluntly to the screen.

-----

**Hamma & Flare / To & Too (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"This is getting really irritating…" Flare grumbled, shaking a stick from his glove. "What kind of stupid glue is this…"

"I have no idea, but if this is what they use in actual movies, I'm surprised the actors don't sue." Hamma remarked.

"Done over here!" To called out.

Walking over again, the supervisor quickly checked the girls' walls. However, his expectant smile went upside down into a frown as he tapped his pencil on three of the pieces.

"Need to be re-done. Do them over."

"…I saw that coming." Too sighed. "We need to cut more wood now."

"On it."

-----

Battlestroke Studios, the filming center famous as being one of the top five recognized production zones in Neon Heights, was a building shaped oddly like a spiked battalion. The fortress had a very imposing look, most likely used to discourage break-ins. It was pitch black on the outside with silver spikes, and the entire mass seemed to just sprout out from the ground. The large glass doors in the front opened inward to the rest of the area, which was split into an outdoor and indoor set of rooms.

A taxi pulled up to the front of the studio, and the occupants excitedly jumped out after paying the driver. They then grabbed their backpacks and headed inside, following the arrows until they reached a group of four buildings separated from the main building section by open ground.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Battlestroke Studios, Outdoor Sets Entrance)**

"This is Battlestroke Studios? Pretty sweet joint, dawg," remarked King.

"I like the scenery of this place…follows a strict, but awesome theme." Andy agreed.

"Hey, what's this…"

Upon closer inspection of the doors, it was revealed that each doorknob had a small placard hung around that had a brief description of the action short. Immediately, the homeboys pounced upon the first door, which read, "Extreme demolition! Dodge the exploding cars! Enter here!" written in bright, bold letters.

After reading smaller print at the bottom, King slipped the string off of the handle before opening the door, which led into a changing room with two stalls. Located on the ground between the two was a box overflowing with appropriate clothing for the occasion; both guys spotted several bits of snazzy wear that caught their attention.

"Whoo-wee…this is gonna be fun!" Andy rubbed his hands together.

Throwing off their backpacks, the fighters dove into the box, pulling out accessories and articles to change into.

-----

**Hamma & Flare / To & Too (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"Five more! Come on! We can get this!" Hamma encouraged, brushing the glue onto the wooden sticks before pushing them together.

"I know, I know! We're gonna make it!" Flare answered.

"Okay, I think this is good."

"Let's try. We're done over here!"

Looking hopeful, the Toad supervisor hurriedly rushed back over to the girls' workstation to check on their three new walls. This time, he nodded his head and produced an envelope from within his jacket.

"Good fix."

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 3****rd**** (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

At the same time that the worker walked back to join the hectic crowd on the other side of the room, the Toad girls pulled on their backpacks and opened the envelope en route to the elevator.

"'Detour. "Super Route" or "Act It Out." How will you go about the city?'" read To.

"Acting or making more deliveries?" Too stated, pressing the button for ground floor. "Definitely…"

"Acting!" chimed the sisters in unison.

"We've made enough deliveries on this race already…I want to have some fun on an action set, especially now that we're in the big bad glamour town itself!" To exclaimed.

"Exactly!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"Argh, dang…we're still in last!" Flare commented, slamming his fist on the table. "Well, we're friggin' not gonna stay here! We gotta get some time on at least one of them to take our rightful place in the top three!"

"We will! Just quit yakkin' to the camera and start gluing!" Hamma ordered.

The twelve wooden walls that the two major leaguers had constructed seemed stable enough—the liquid glue had dried, showing that they'd pretty much put glue all over the sticks in a feeble attempt to get them to stick together no matter what. Luckily, they were all stuck at the correct edges instead of in some wacky way that would've surely resulted in do-overs.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Battlestroke Studios, Main Entrance)**

"This place is so cool!"

Skipping along eagerly, Waitress whistled as she bounded through the halls of the main part of the studios, receiving strange looks from staff members and actors/actresses alike. Following behind her (and struggling to keep up) was a panting Shimi, who was panting exhaustedly from having to jump with the weight of the backpack, especially at a speed to try and keep up with his giddy partner.

By the time the Cheep-Cheep reached the exit to the outdoor area, Waitress was already at the entrance to the four separate sets across the grounds, scanning the three remaining descriptions. When he'd finally made it across, she'd already made her selection with a door that had, "Saving from the furious battle! Man saves woman—preferably a coed team to work with, please!" scribbled on the card.

"Oh, this looks like fun!" Waitress shrieked. "Come on, Shimi!"

"Whoa!"

Before Shimi even blinked, he'd been pulled into the changing room, and his backpack had been thrust off. Waitress flung the contents of the box about the room, grabbing certain items as she went, somehow selecting certain things without even looking.

"…Still…out of character…" Shimi remarked. "She really spares me sometimes…"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 1)**

"Wow…you two boys look perfect to play this part! You sure you're up to this, though?"

"Positive!"

"Sure am, dawg!"

"Good…here's a small idea of what you gotta do…" The Snifit director handed over two small slips of paper. "It's nothing especially concrete…basically in a nutshell, you're just dodging those cars in the most insane way you possibly can…showing off, being flashy, the like. Just gotta stay alive while you're doing it."

Smirking, the two guys looked at each other with excited grins. If it weren't for the clothing choice, it would've been hard to even distinguish who they were. Andy was decked out in attire entirely different from that of a normal Big Bandit—a dark green bandana around the head, a black skull-and-crossbones T-shirt, scratched up black pants, and sneakers. King was even more unrecognizable—his yellow shell had been swapped out for a black one (presumably NOT explosive like that of a Nokobon), a white tank top and black leather jacket outside of the shell's underside, fake nose piercing, spiky choker, and heavy-duty boots. One could just look at the two, compare the looks to the original, and come up with one solution: over-exaggerated gangster.

"Alright…get out there, boys! Have fun, but try not to get run over! We don't got any of that magic safety to keep in compliance with the rules…besides, it looks less realistic."

Rushing out onto the open 'street,' the best friends fervently eyed the cars waiting around them at varying distances from down the sides of the set.

"And…ACTION!"

Almost immediately, one of the vehicles jolted alive and started rushing the duo. In response, Andy cart wheeled out of the way, while King spun to the side on the rounded part of his changed shell. The car zoomed harmlessly past and rammed into a 'streetlight' on the side, crushing it into a hunched figure of twisted metal. However, just as that occurred, a van and a truck started roaring down opposite sides of the intersection, set to collide where the homeboys were standing.

"Looks like we're in for quite a workout!" Andy exclaimed. "We're gonna have to move around a bit for this!"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Neon Heights, Famed Road)**

Watching the scenery pass by in the safety of the taxi, the sisters patiently sat in the back, fastened down by seatbelts. The green-haired Toad girl leaned over to her sister after taking a look at the credit card.

"This doesn't look too good, sis…we hardly have any funds left…it's hardly even enough to cover the cost of this ride." Too informed. "After this one, we might be too low on cash to get another taxi to take us to our next place…"

"Really? That's no good…" To mused. "We'll come up with something, I hope…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Technician's Tower, Top Floor Work Area)**

"YES! THANK YOU! NO DO-OVERS FOR US, BABY!"

As the supervisor gratefully walked away to rejoin the crowd of builders and workers, the last-place brothers slipped on their backpacks and opened the clue on the way to the elevators.

"This Detour sounds pretty fast…we can do a 5-minute short in no time." Hamma decided.

"Yeah, but I bet all the good stuff was taken by the other teams…" Flare said flatly.

"Especially those stupid minor leaguers…"

"ESPECIALLY those STUPID minor leaguers…"

"…We have no other choice, though…it gives us a set idea." Hamma reasoned. "Doing the other one doesn't guarantee anything in terms of time."

"Yeah, I know. We just better not get some crappy part to work off of." Flare shook his head.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 3)**

"…Oh my gosh…I hope nobody sees me in this…I didn't want to have to cross-dress just to play a part!"

"…SHUT. UP."

An apologetic Paratroopa shrugged his shoulders as he handed over the prompts to the two coworkers. Humorously, it appeared that to take part in the plot planned for the set's action theme, the man was required to be bigger than the woman, so the two were forced to switch roles—Waitress looked stunning with a covering of black lightning bolts hiding her pink hearts and her purple hair messily done into a spiky, yet handsome, do that stuck out from all sides of her hat, especially the front. The act was even more convincing with her in a black and white tux. On the other hand, Shimi…was wearing a bride's gown…complete with white lace, frills, flowers, and puffs.

"This was such a tad choice!" Shimi fumed. "I don't WANT to be wearing a dress!"

"…It's either this or take another prompt, sonny…take it or leave it," responded the director.

Waitress sighed. "I don't like this, either…I have to CARRY you!"

"Are you implying that I'm FAT?!"

"No, it's just that I've never had to carry you before…especially not in a MAN'S clothes!"

"Actually, a tux isn't just for men, you know, girl…" the director cut in. "As a matter of fact, my second cousin, she often wears—"

"You carry heavy trays all the chime…whatever, let's just do this and get outta here!" Shimi pleaded.

"As you wish…"

An annoyed Shimi and Waitress strode out into the middle of the set—the interior of a humongous cathedral that had been prepared for a ravishing wedding. All around the pews, actors and actresses were dressed nicely in fine clothes…but they were armed with books, plates, and…wedding cake?

"…If I get hit with one piece of that stupid cake, so help me…" Waitress grumbled.

"And…ACTION TIME!"

Shimi leapt into Waitress' arms, and the female dressed like a groom took off running down the central aisle, swerving to avoid the flurry of hymnals, paper plates thrown like Frisbees, and slices of creamy wedding cake that went flying by, overhead, and underfoot. She tripped over a slippery puddle of cake that had fallen onto the carpet, and fell to the ground. Immediately, the nearest crowd of 'angered' attendees closed in and started flinging gobs of wedding cake at the grounded Toad and Cheep-Cheep.

"…What kind of deranged set IS this?!" Waitress demanded, disgustedly wiping icing from her face. "Why I oughtta…"

"You can't fight back, remember?! Just stick me up and get out of this circle!" Shimi responded, opening his mouth to swallow a wedding cake piece that was thrown at him. "…This was poorly made…"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 1)**

"Look out behind you!" Andy shouted.

Scrambling to get out of the way, King leapt into the air to dodge the incoming car, just as it plowed into the building set behind him, releasing a brilliant flash of fire.

"Thanks, man!" King exclaimed. "Though I think it's gotta be you lookin' out next, yo!"

Seeing no other alternative way out, Andy was forced to crawl over the windshield of the van that had nearly slammed over him and jump to safety as it collided with another incoming truck.

"What's with their aim?! Are they TRYING to kill us?" Andy asked incredulously.

"Of course not…what makes you say that?" the director whispered sheepishly. "Boys, you've got only half of it left to go…you can do it!"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Neon Heights, 46****th**** Street)**

"We should be coming up close on Battlestroke," stated the driver.

"Okay, thank you!" To called out through the glass panel. "You were right…we only have just barely enough to just cover the fare on this ride…"

"This doesn't look good, does it…" Too bit her lip.

"Hopefully we'll come across some sympathetic people somewhere…" To murmured. "I hate to beg, but we really have no other choice…"

"Yeah…"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Neon Heights, Sequin Street)**

"Dangit, can't this old guy go any faster?!" Flare muttered impatiently. "We're in a race, and here he is, going UNDER the speed limit…"

"Tell me about it…this is ridiculous." Hamma groaned. "Hey, old man! Hurry it up, will ya?!"

"I'm going as fast as this speedy cat will go, my boy…"

"…You know what…" Flare slapped his forehead. "Turn off that camera. I've got some…bargaining…to do…"

Somehow, the Fire Bro got access to the power switch of the recording camera, but left the sound recording mic on. The next few seconds were filled with squeaked, whistled protests, angry shouts, and the noise of fireballs flying through the air and hitting metal walls.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 3)**

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Using Shimi, the fishy-in-more-than-one-way bride, as a battering ram, Waitress knocked a few surprised actors out of the way as she ran for the cover of a church column.

"Maybe if I destroy some of these deserts on the table, I can get rid of some of their ammo!" Waitress plotted, spotting the nearby line of tables covered with numerous other foods that did not include wedding cake (which was already scattered all over the floor).

"Make sure you get some of that pudding! I wanna fry some!" Shimi motivated.

Somehow, as Waitress swept her partner over the tables on the reception area of the chapel, Shimi knocked a lot of the food off, meanwhile getting some of it into his mouth.

"Don't waste food!" Shimi added brightly.

Apparently, although the groom-bride combo wasn't allowed to fight back directly against the provoked-for-an-unknown-reason crowd, the destruction of the food was entirely appropriate; the filming crew was eagerly eating it up.

"This duo is a natural, mac!" the director hooted, bent over with tears coming out of his eyes as he laughed. "Make sure you get a close up on that girl—er, the spiky guy's face as the food is cleaned off before the janitors come!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 1)**

"Last one! Move it!"

In a spectacular show of moves, Andy somersaulted narrowly past the front tires of the monster truck that came crashing down the street, while King flipped over the top, using his left pointer finger as a brief push. The two friends landed on the sidewalk of the intersection, Andy on his feet and King on all fours, as the last decoy vehicle exploded against a café, sending debris and smoke into the air. Seeing that their 5-minute time had expired, the homeboys tiredly walked off of the set and over to the director.

"Awesome job, guys! Your moves were purely spectacular and absolutely built for this kind of thing!" congratulated the director as he clapped, heading to meet the duo.

The best friends looked at each other.

"Yeah, well…we got experience with this genre…and it ain't no actin'." King nodded, looking back at the Snifit.

"It's ingenius! You two are more than deserving; that short's gonna be used in something, I can assure you that!" the director guaranteed. "Just get yourselves changed and you can get your tails out! Here!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 1)**

"Thanks very much!" Andy accepted the envelope. "Let's see what we've got… 'Make your way by taxi to the Fourbase Pinnacle Park. Locate your next clue at the northern entrance to the fields.'"

_Teams must now make their way approximately 4 miles from both Detour points to this place: Fourbase Pinnacle Park, a grassy acre of recreational playgrounds in the middle of a star-struck city, filled with the equipment for the second thing that Neon Heights is known for other than movies, films, and the stars behind them—sports. This large complex holds areas for popular outdoor sports such as baseball, soccer, and rugby, and also arenas for indoor competitions such as karate, wrestling, and judo. Teams will find their next clue at the northern entrance to these commons._

"All right! Let's ditch this place and get out!"

The homeboys made a dash for the changing room and started pulling off the accessories and fashionable items they'd been provided with, glad to be free of the sweaty items for their refreshing normal clothes.

**To & Too: Sisters (Battlestroke Studios, Main Entrance)**

After paying their taxi driver and retrieving their backpacks, the Toad girls rushed into Battlestroke Studios, through the main building, and out to the segregated sets. They quickly took a look at the two remaining cards on the doors.

"Which one should we do? They both sound equally…er…exciting…"

"I guess this one. Might as well take advantage of it."

Too had directed To's attention toward a short marker advertising, "War zone! Exhibit extreme caution! Not for the faint of heart!" with a red slash painted over the corner of the card.

"Well, okay…sounds kinda violent in comparison to the other one, but I'm not complaining." To shrugged.

Opening the door, the two removed the card and headed into the changing room. They dropped off their backpacks before setting to work looking amongst the clothes in the box.

"Whoa…looks like this one is being taken seriously…" Too noted, holding up a camouflage-colored helmet. "…Oh, gosh…"

"…I'm sure that Zessworth and Team Twilight are laughing at us right now…" To muttered, pulling out a padded green jacket.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Battlestroke Studios, Main Entrance)**

Now that they were back in their regular attire, it was easy to see that Andy and King hadn't escaped their experience without any scratches—in fact, they had quite a few scrapes from making close calls and hard landings. However, they seemed unfazed as they rushed back out the gates to grab a taxi.

"Hey! Get that one over there across the street!" Andy pointed.

Catching the attention of the driver, the homeboys quickly questioned about their destination before depositing their luggage and getting in.

"Make sure you go really fast!" Andy instructed.

"Yeah…pretty sure most of the cards on the doors were gone." King remarked.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Neon Heights, 48****th**** Street)**

A heavily shaken taxi driver sped down the road, even cutting off several other cars, as he tried to find favor with the two occupants.

"I'll h-have y-y-you know, I-I can f-f-file for threats a-and assault!" stammered the driver.

"I'd like to see you try!" Flare boomed, coughing up a bit of fire for emphasis.

"…I w-would, too…" the driver squeaked.

"Great…now we might get the police after us…that's the last thing we need…" Hamma muttered.

"Shut up and don't think like that!" Flare warned. "Or else it's actually gonna happen!"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 3)**

"And…that's it!" shouted the director. "It's done! Stop!"

Taking their cue, the actors and actresses on the set quit flinging their seemingly endless ammunition of various foods and books, allowing the cross-dressed Shimi and Waitress to safely maneuver their way into security.

"…You aren't going to be showing that on the screens or anything, are you?" Waitress asked, a pleading look in her tone and eyes.

"Yeah, please won't…that was so embarrassing, wearing a mess!" Shimi complained.

"What? Are you kidding, kids? That was great material right there!" the Paratroopa contradicted. "That baby's gonna be shown everywhere starting next month! And there's nothing you can do about it! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 3)**

Quickly tossing the clue envelope down to the ground, the Paratroopa then flew off and out of reach to some unseen area of the studio before either of the two could protest. Sighing, Waitress reached down and picked up the envelope, tearing off the paper strip to get to the Route Info inside.

"'Make your way by taxi to the Fourbase Pinnacle Park. Locate your next clue at the northern entrance to the fields,'" she read. "Alright…but we're getting cleaned up first."

"Get me out of this press before I die…" Shimi muttered. "That guy's gonna show my boast embarrassing moment!"

The two employees rushed back over to the door that led into the changing room, slamming it shut as they started to take off the 'insulting' wardrobes they'd been assigned.

**To & Too: Sisters (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 4)**

"…So…you're here for this action short?" asked the Koopa. "Sweet deal…it's been a while since I've worked with two chicks…especially under this genre."

Looking at each other worriedly, both To and Too obtained sweat beads. Although they'd been willing to dress up for the part, they hadn't realized exactly how far they'd gone. To's pink head ensemble was covered by camouflaging, and she had on a brown tank top, green jacket, khaki slacks, and heavy-duty working boots. Too's light-green hair had somehow been acceptable, so it was left the way it was, except for being pulled into a ponytail. She had similar clothes to her sister; her wardrobe consisted of a camouflage-covered shirt and brown jacket, green pants, and boots.

"Here's your little 'outline.' It's not much, but you might want to keep it in mind…" the Koopa smirked, handing over two slips of paper.

"…Huh? 'Avoid bullets and cannon fire?'" To read aloud. "You can't be serious…"

"We're in an actual war zone…with actual ammo being used?" Too asked fretfully.

"You got it, toots. Now get out there and turn some heads, but just don't get blasted to pieces, 'kay? It'd be a real shame for two real dolls like you to obtain stars upon unofficially being enrolled, and only joining the field on the first day."

"…Can't we get stand-ins for this part?" the sisters asked simultaneously.

"…Let me think about that for a second…" the Koopa held up his finger. "…No."

With that, two Shy Guys carrying brooms and dustpans came in front of the sisters, brushed them onto the pans, and carried them over to the middle of the set before dropping them off.

"…Maybe we should've just taken our luck with 'Super Route' instead…"

"…I think so…"

"ACTION!"

The sisters shivered as they felt the unsettling breeze generated by fans on the sides of the area. Suddenly, they heard the startling noise of a machine gun being fired. Shots of dirt and dust flew up in quick succession in a direct line heading for their feet.

"EEP! Let's not get cut right away!" To suggested, grabbing Too's arm and pulling her out of the way.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Battlestroke Studios, Outdoor Sets Entrance)**

"Looks like the other three teams went for this option, too…that's just great…" Flare groaned. "We rushed here, all only to get no choice in which prompt we got?"

"This bites!" Hamma growled, thrusting open the door. He tore the card, which read, "Fight going on in the gym! Stop the senseless violence! Preferably meant for good defenders!" from its place, before slamming the door shut.

Throwing their backpacks down to the ground, the Hammer and Fire Brothers started sifting through the box of accessories in the middle of the small dressing room.

"At least they've got some good choices of clothes in here…" Flare remarked dryly. "…Least we get to show off a bit with these clothes…"

"I wonder if we get to do any actual fighting or anything…that'd make up for it really nicely." Hamma snickered.

"Yeah, seriously…"

**To & Too: Sisters (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 4)**

"ACK!"

Seeing the mini-grenade land on the fake dirt in front of them, the two Toad girls skidded to a stop and ran in the other direction, just as the bomb exploded and sent bits of mud and small shards flying through the air.

"How'd we get ourselves stuck in this mess?!" Too queried. "This isn't war, this is just plain violent! We're just running from stuff!"

"I know! But what choice do we have?!" To ducked to avoid a whistling bomb that was thrown overhead. "It's either run or…or…you know!"

"Good point!"

With that, the sisters frantically continued their avoidance of the reckless fire, dodging large bullets and sprays of fire from the 'enemy' side.

"Not only are they hot, but they dance pretty well under pressure, too…" the Koopa nodded, tapping his chin. "Good combination…"

-----

Fourbase Pinnacle Park, the biggest area of green grass in Neon Heights, had several multi-purpose fields spread out within half of its boundaries; the other half had several scattered buildings for the indoor arts and exercises. While there seemed to be activity going on in most of the fields, it appeared that two of the locations were docile; there were players sitting there, but they were dormant and void of actual movement of importance.

At the northern edge of the recreational playing field, a black cab pulled up to the opening in the gray stone fence. Two people got out after paying their fair share and pulling their backpacks out from the trunk. They spotted the clue box, situated on the edge of the sidewalk path that led in the direction of the buildings in the distance. Without hesitation, they grabbed an envelope from inside and peered at its contents.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Northern Entrance)**

"All right!" exclaimed King. "Roadblock! 'Who's ready to round third base to the finish line?'"

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight Roadblocks on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock, the participant will be required to take part in one of the sports that Neon Heights is most famous for—the popular activity of baseball. After choosing a field and amateur high school team to play with, the team member will be placed at first to bat. Then, he or she will have to try and meet the requirement: rounding all of the bases at least one time within an inning. However, because this task deals with the character being dependent on the skill level of their chosen team, part of the task is not even within his or her control. Once the task has been completed, the participant will receive the next clue._

"I'm doin' this one to get the count back on track." King announced. "…Baseball, hm? Smooth…"

"Have you ever played before?" Andy asked concernedly.

"Couple o' times, dawg…nothin' too fancy…" King shrugged. "Just shortstop on a minor team in meh childhood…"

"…Well, hopefully you still know how to bat, because that's all that matters here." Andy pointed out.

"Yeah…" King pulled out an additional notice from the envelope. He started scanning over the important details; the paper gave four teams and their respective fields in the park, as well as stats rated on a best-worst scale of 1 down to 5 of batting, running, and plays. "'Apex HS Strikers?' They sound mighty fine… Decent statistics on all players… Field 2."

"Well, let's go before we lose our lead." Andy suggested.

"Right on."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 2)**

"…Looks like you two ready for this task! That good! You need have good defense to survive!" shouted the Thwomp. "Do good, be safe!" he commanded, giving the two their prompts.

"Don't worry…we're professional fighters on another circuit…I'm sure we can handle just standing there, blocking hits from other actors…" Flare reassured, quickly reading over the paper.

"No problem." Hamma agreed.

For some odd reason or another, the brothers had gotten stuck with the only prompt that explicitly allowed fighting back (unlike that which Shim-Stress obtained), and somehow knowing that beforehand, they'd dressed appropriately. Although the main objective was for defending themselves against blows, the two had taken off their helmets mostly just to show off—Hamma had quickly gelled his hair up into short spikes, while Flare's hair was left to messily hang over a red headband tied firmly around his forehead. Even with a shell on, the black muscle shirt Hamma was wearing seemed to accentuate the muscular bulk his arms had. He'd exchanged his shell color for black, put a black choker on his neck, pulled on blue trunks and black shoes, and haphazardly protected his fists with badly done hand wraps and red boxing gloves. On the other hand, Flare was wearing something a bit different; his shell was also now a shade of black, but the front was partway covered by a white karate gi. He had on no shoes, but his hands were covered by fingerless black gloves.

"Even if those 'fighting actors' over there are giving play hits, we won't be…" Flare sneered, cracking his knuckles. "This'll be a cinch."

"Listen, guy…you better call an ambulance over for later…" Hamma warned, punching his gloves together. "We're not responsible for any damage done to your play-fighters…"

"It good, it good…just get out there. You be surprised in minute."

Giving each other knowing looks, the two nimbly hustled over into the midst of the set, which was a workout room with windows all the way across one wall, several mirrors on the opposite side, and various equipment scattered about the middle, as well as a horde of about fifteen fighters.

"ACTION!"

Immediately, several of the attackers ganged up on the two dressed-up Koopas. Flare effortlessly swayed his own center of balance to throw two assailants over his shoulder and trip up another, while Hamma simply blocked a few kicks with his arms in an 'X' before punching the foes away.

"…Not too bad…and actors not even acting, fighting real…" the Thwomp mused.

**To & Too: Sisters (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 4)**

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!"

"Me, either! My legs are about to give out!"

"And…CUT!"

All of the heavy artillery and machinery immediately powered down around the girls, much to their relief. The dirt-covered Toads thankfully jogged off of the set and over to the directing Koopa as he applauded.

"Congrats, dolls…you made it through without biting the dust," he stated. "We'll find some way to put your exploits to good use, don't you worry…"

"…That's…great…" To gasped.

"…Really…wonderful…" Too added pantingly.

"Well, anyway…here's your current reward."

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 3****rd**** (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 4)**

After taking a few seconds to catch their breath, the females accepted the envelope from the director's outstretched hand before opening it.

"'Make your way by taxi to the Fourbase Pinnacle Park. Locate your next clue at the northern entrance to the fields.'" Too read. "Oh, great…we might not have enough money for this taxi trip…"

"We'll have to worry about it when we come to it…come on, let's get changed out of this stuff…" To suggested.

Agreeing, the green-haired Toad girl followed her sister back to the changing room, where they locked the doors as they wiped themselves of the dirt and grime before starting to remove the dirty clothes to get back into their normal wear.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 2)**

It hadn't taken long for King K. to snap on a batter's helmet and pick up the appropriate bat before stepping out next to the plate. The outfield team quickly shuffled to their positions, and the pitcher started winding up.

"Come on, King! You can do this; just don't think about it!" Andy advised.

"Don't worry dawg; I got it!" King pledged.

The opposing team's pitcher tossed the ball in a straight pitch down the center to test out the newcomer KP Koopa. King swung, but accidentally hit the baseball in such a way that it flew into the foul area on the right side of the field.

"Eheh…not like that, though." King said sheepishly.

Obtaining another ball from the catcher, the pitching Paragoomba tossed another pitch, this time giving it a curve. He missed hitting this one, and it flew into the catcher's mitt.

"Strike!" yelled the umpire.

"Come on, King…don't to this to us now…remember, if you fail, you have to wait for them to go through their turn at bat before you can go again!" Andy reminded.

"I know, I know!" King acknowledged.

With the third pitch, the sunglasses-wearing Koopa managed a hit to the outfield. Although one of the Goombas tried to make a dive for it, he missed, allowing it to bounce once. By the time the ball was recovered, King had managed to make it to second base.

"Alright…now it all comes down to the other batters…and hopefully he won't get touched out on a play of some sort…" Andy crossed his fingers.

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 2)**

"Man, these guys are nothing!" Flare exclaimed.

"Tch, I could hardly call this a workout!" Hamma agreed.

Flare tripped up another one of the goons, causing him to fall backwards over a barbell and land on the matted ground. He then turned around and backhanded another guy before grabbing his wrist and throwing him at an approaching foe. Taking care of his own business, Hamma grabbed a suspended punching bag with the finger part of his fists and pushed it into a crowd, knocking the members over like bowling pins. Feeling the punch of another enemy behind him, the Hammer Brother parried the blow of a boxing Sledge Brother and gave him a punch that floored him down for the count.

"We'll be out of targets to use before our five minutes are even up!" Hamma proclaimed, throwing an attacking Koopa an uppercut with his right glove.

"Yeah, I think we already knocked out a third of 'em!" Flare said, sweeping the legs out from underneath a Boomerang Brother.

"…These guys experts…they right!" the Thwomp realized with horror. "Possible they defeat all actors before time up?!"

**To & Too: Sisters (Battlestroke Studios, Main Entrance)**

"Taxi! Taxi! Over here!"

Calling over a cab, the two Toad girls walked over to the window as it was rolled down to see the Goomba waiting inside.

"Hi…we need to go to Fourbase Pinnacle Park, please." To informed.

"Sure thing…just hop in and we'll go." The Goomba gestured towards the trunk. "…Wait…you got enough money to cover the fare, right?"

The sisters nervously looked at each other.

"Uh…about how much is the cost?" Too inquired.

"…I'd estimate about twenty to thirty Smash…that too much for you cheapskates?" the Goomba asked accusingly.

"Well, you see…we don't really have that much…we only have about ten Smash coins left on our card…" To explained.

"Ten? Well, forget it then; I'm not carrying freeloaders to even an ATM! Go find someone else!"

"No, wait!" Too insisted, trying to stop the window from rolling back up.

"Please, sir…we don't have enough money to pay you…but we'll find some way to get it done, I assure you!" To pleaded.

Looking at the Toads with a quizzical look, the taxi driver waved them off and continued on his way.

"That was so cold…" Too shuddered with a whimper. "We can't even afford to get a taxi here…how will we ever make it to the pit stop?"

Sighing as she watched the retreating cab, To shrugged unsurely.

"I'm not sure…but we'll have to find a way if we want to make it…"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 2)**

"Great hit, man!" King cheered. "Nice job!"

The Koopa gave him a thumbs up.

"Next one, send me home!"

Waiting on third base and hoping to make it to fourth base, King eagerly crouched down in preparation to run. There were already two outs, but the bases were loaded, and there was still the chance of the next batter helping to push him to where he needed to be. The potential last batter on his side, a red-shelled Koopa, nervously stepped up to the plate and brought the bat up to his left side.

"You can do it, dawg!" King encouraged.

"Let's hope he can…" Andy whispered.

The Paragoomba sent a pitch straight down the middle. The Koopa swung too early and missed.

"Strike!"

"…Just focus! Don't be nervous, man!" King counseled.

The Paragoomba sent a second pitch, curving it in a wide arc. The Koopa swung late and missed.

"Strike!"

"Shoot…" Andy bit his lip. "Come on…"

"You can do it!" King told the batter again. "Concentrate and you'll get it!"

Leering, the Paragoomba shot a third pitch towards the plate. It curved slightly to the left. The Koopa swung…

CRACK!

…and hit it…just out of reach of the Goombas in the outfield.

"YES!" Andy shouted.

Making it around with no problem, King slid into home plate for emphasis. By the time the opposing team had retrieved the ball, all but one runner from the Apex High School Strikers had made it across home plate, and that was the very batter that had sent the three other runners home. Before continuing the inning, the umpire stood up and walked over to the Apex dugout.

"You've earned this for making it around the bases," he stated, handing an envelope to the KP Koopa.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 2)**

"Sweet! Thanks!" King said gratefully.

To the cheers and shouts of his team, the yellow-shelled Koopa jogged back over to his partner, who'd been waiting outside the fence of the field. He pulled his backpack on while Andy tore open the clue, pulling out a blue folder.

"'Using the keys and number code enclosed with this envelope, make your way by taxi to the last pit stop at the Starrit Apartment Complex's ninth building, at the top floor's furthest room.'"

_Teams must now make their way 6 miles to the final pit stop in the more quiet part of Neon Heights, at the Starrit Apartment Complex, Building Number 9. Using the entrance code and keys that were obtained in the envelope, teams will have to navigate their way into the building and up to the seventh floor to this room at the end of the hallway: one of several getaway locations of famous actor Zip T. This small room, a secret home to one of the most popular actors ever to grace the screens of the Mushroom world, is the pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here…will be eliminated._

"'Warning: The last team to check in will be eliminated.'" Andy concluded. "Geez, we haven't heard that phrase ever since leg one! I'm glad we made it this far even to hear it again!"

"Let's not let it be us!" King implied.

Running back across the sidewalk to the northern entrance, the two homeboys spotted another taxi. Much to their surprise, it stopped and let another team out.

"Whoa! You guys are already done here?! Gee, that was fast!"

"Speed demons…"

"It's pretty easy. Say, can we use this cab?"

"Why not…we can always find another…"

"Great, thanks!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Northern Entrance)**

As Andy and King clambered into the taxi and informed the driver of their destination, the Excess Express workers grabbed an envelope from the clue box.

"'Roadblock. Who's ready to round third base to the finish line?'" read Waitress.

"Sounds like a game of face—er, baseball." Shimi commented. "I couldn't do that real well…"

"Neither can I. I hated playing baseball when I was younger…I'm hoping you're wrong about what the actual task is, you know." Waitress warned.

"Don't take a risk; you do it."

"Fine…" Waitress sighed, and opened the Roadblock folder to get to the in-depth information. "…Oh, great! It IS baseball! That's just perfect; I have absolutely no clue how to do this!"

Groaning, the Toad girl marched over to the first field and randomly selected one of the teams before donning her helmet and grabbing a bat.

"Okay, how do you hold this thing again?"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 2)**

Just before the Thwomp yelled, "CUT!" out loud, the brothers knocked out the remaining two actors—Flare simply kicked the foe Koopa in the stomach and sent him flying into the wall, while Hamma gave a large punch in the face to an even larger Giant Koopa, accompanied by the sound of his boxing glove making contact before the Koopa fell to the ground. While all of the fighters dizzily recovered from seeing stars, the two Glitz Pit major leaguers simply walked off the set and expectantly strode over to the director.

"Great job! You definitely earn clue with that!" the Thwomp congratulated.

"Sure, sure…of course." Hamma flexed his arms, twisting his gloved wrists around.

"Are we gonna get to see that replayed in theatres anytime soon?" Flare inquired, tugging at his gi.

"Well…"

Hamma punched the red boxing gloves together, creating a loud smacking noise. Flare cleanly just cocked his head and eyed the stony character, his hands on his hips.

"Er, yeah! Of course! Eheh…" the Thwomp laughed nervously. "After you done with race…here, take envelope and finish!"

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Battlestroke Studios, Race Set 2)**

As the Thwomp timidly hopped away to get out of beating range from the two figures, Flare opened the envelope and hauled the Route Info out from within.

"'Make your way by taxi to the Fourbase Pinnacle Park. Locate your next clue at the northern entrance to the fields.'" Flare read. "Alright…we gotta hurry this up!"

"This should be our big chance to catch the others now!" Hamma grinned, smacking the gloves together again to receive the sound of the smacking.

Sprinting full-speed back to the changing room, the brothers slammed the door shut before starting to rapidly pull off the gear.

"Y'know, I really gotta get a pair of these," said Flare, motioning towards the fingerless gloves. "They feel fireproof, and I could even have some kind of a fire-hand!"

"And I really should get some of these…" Hamma mused, eyeing the boxing gloves as he slipped them off. "'Cuz if the Koopinator thinks that disabling my hammerspace will be how he wins the next time, he's gonna have another thing coming!"

"Tch, I bet I could use those better than you…" Flare mocked.

"…We don't got time to settle this right now…" Hamma muttered. "Match when we have the time, but that's it…and I'll still whoop your blazin' butt!"

"You're on, hammer-for-brains!"

In no time, the two guys were back in their normal shells with their trademark helmets, and dashing back out the opposite door.

**To & Too: Sisters (Battlestroke Studios, Main Entrance)**

After several tries, the two girls had finally found a taxi driver willing to show some sympathy.

"We don't know how to thank you…" To complimented. "If only the other four drivers were so nice, we would've been long gone…"

"Yeah…please, help us make up for lost time!" Too begged.

"Sure thing!" responded the Toad.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Battlestroke Studios, Main Entrance)**

Approximately half a minute after To and Too had left the scene, the major leaguers rushed through the open gates and onto the narrow sidewalk.

"Gotta get a taxi…where are the circulating cabs when you need 'em?" Flare voiced edgily.

"I have no idea…" Hamma moaned. "Dang, and just when we'd gotten a break with a fast task, too!"

Heading down the street a few yards, the two specialized Koopas finally noticed a white van with the appropriate label parked a ways down the street.

"Over there!" Hamma pointed. "Come on!"

"Already way ahead of ya!"

The brothers stopped at the window of the taxi.

"We need to get to Fourbase Pinnacle Park as fast as possible. Think you can get us there?" Flare inquired.

"It'll be my pleasure, boys…just hop in," responded the Boo at the wheel.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 1)**

"Strike! Out!" bellowed the umpire.

"…You've gotta be kidding me! That's so uncool!" wailed Waitress. "Man, I hate baseball!"

"You'll get it the next time!" Shimi encouraged.

A quick inning later, the female Toad was back up at bat with a completely incorrect stance and bad grip on the wooden bludgeon.

"Come on, Waitress! Hit fun out of the park!" Shimi shouted.

The rival pitcher, a Shy Guy, released a speedy pitch down the center. Waitress swung way too high and definitely missed the baseball as it flew by.

"Strike!"

"…Shimi, you so owe me one if I ever get through this…" Waitress grumbled.

The Shy Guy let another pitch go, this one with a smooth curve to the right. She swung early and accidentally let go of the bat at the same time. Luckily, it harmlessly landed in the dust between third base and home plate.

"Strike! Be careful, little lady! We don't want any of our players getting their heads knocked off!"

A vein started to throb near the top of Waitress' head.

"You can do it! Just implore him!" Shimi urged.

"…Sure…whatever…" the purple-haired Toad muttered.

The Shy Guy somehow released a surprise on the third pitch—a startling change-up that slowed just before going over the plate, causing Waitress to swing too hard and spin around in place.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!"

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 3****rd**** (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Northern Entrance)**

Following the quick and gracious payment of all the money they had to their savior taxi driver, the Toads bolted for the entrance and took a clue out of the box.

"'Roadblock. Who's ready to round third base to the finish line?'" Too read.

Just as the two started contemplating the decision, a second taxi pulled up to the curb outside the park.

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in Last (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Northern Entrance)**

"Sweet! It looks like the girls just got here!" Hamma noticed. "We actually still DO have a chance at this! Alright!"

Wasting no time in paying the driver and grabbing their baggage, the brothers ran up behind the sisters and took out an envelope.

"'Roadblock. Who's ready to round third base to the finish line?'" read Flare. "Sounds like baseball terms…"

"Well then, we know who's doing it, right?" Hamma proudly gestured towards his chest.

"Go ahead! You better be fast about this, or we're done!"

Nodding, Hamma took off in a run after the retreating sisters, who went to the empty Field 2. The Hammer Brother opted to take chances competing against Waitress and the Hightop Junior High Bright-Lights on Field 1, joining the Neon High Superstars.

-----

It wouldn't have been appropriate to deem the areas holding apartment complexes as complete 'slums' or 'dumps,' because they were almost like the high-rise towers of the residential sector of town. One set in particular that stood out was the Starrit Apartment Complex, whose outside brick walls were colored a dark mahogany. Unlike many of the other surrounding buildings, it only had seven floors, and it wasn't very wide in appearance at all. The small entrance at the bottom consisted of a gate locked by an electronic numeric lock, and two doors that led inside on opposite walls, both also locked, but with obvious keyholes. However, the right one had a small race flag hanging down from the door handle.

A taxi pulled up to the front of the complex, and two people got out. They quickly paid the driver (and at the same time, dwindling their funds down to nearly zero), retrieved their particularly heavy backpacks, and strode up to the gate.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Entrance)**

"Okay…this is the part that requires the number code…what does it read?" Andy questioned, readying his finger above the keypad.

"'Six-seven-two-six.'" King responded.

The Big Bandit pressed the corresponding numbers on the pad. When the second 'six' was pushed down, the electronic lock let out a strange beeping noise, along with the unmistakable clank of the gate's door opening. Andy pushed it inward and took a look at the two wooden doors before noticing the race flag.

"Key, please," he requested.

King K. complied, and Andy easily slipped the key into the hole and opened the door. After closing it shut, they rushed down the narrow hallway and out another open door into an alley of sorts—it was a rectangular area of open space with garbage bins in a neat line on the close side, and a view of the floors towering above. Only giving the lesser details a quick glance, the two quickly recognized what they were looking for. There was another open doorway a few feet over from where they'd exited the hall. Hurrying up the inside steps, the homeboys discovered they had two options: use the elevator, or ascend the spiraling staircase up the square-shaped corridor up to the top floor.

"It looks like the elevator is already down here…that's good for us!" Andy remarked.

Pulling open the blue door, the best friends went through the open folding access flaps and pushed the button for the seventh floor, causing the pieces to straighten out and shut, and the lift to start upward. After about twenty seconds of creaking noise, it stopped at the chosen destination, and reopened the flaps. Andy and King pushed open the blue door and turned down the hallway, barely noticing the fact that there was a lack of light as they rounded the corners. When they could go no further in the darkest part of the hall, King pulled out another key and inserted it into the hole to the door.

"Let's hope this is the right one…"

Much to their relief, the lock clinked open…

**Team ? (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Top Floor, Room 710)**

For the penultimate leg of the race, it appeared that Blaise had the honor of being the one to make the final elimination—he calmly stood in the area behind the mat, red arms crossed firmly in a comfortable position over his chest. His unblinking eyes were much different from the shifty movements of famous actor and star model, Zip T., who was constantly moving his weight around on his feet and trying to find a comfy arrangement in which to stand and wait. However, it seemed he just couldn't find it.

"When're they gonna get here?" Zip asked impatiently. "I really gotta grab a mousse or something, man…I'm starving; haven't had breakfast yet…"

"Too bad…you're staying right there in place until the crew gives us the okay to move out." Blaise stated resolutely. "But when they tell us to move back in, you're back there…even if you're in your fancy-pants bathroom when they call."

"HEY! I'll have you know, that bathroom is just the same as any other in this place; small and tight! For crying out loud, the shower and sink is separated from the toilet!"

"…I'm guessing that's one of the main reasons why you only visit this getaway about once a year for only a day or so…"

"Bingo."

Just then, the outside lock made a noise, and the door swung open. The two team members slung their bodies onto the pit stop mat and eagerly awaited the verdict from the red Yoshi.

"Welcome to the…uh…boring part of Neon Heights, I guess." Zip openly greeted. "…Man, this is stupid, being a greeter…sheesh…"

The best friends gave the Toad a questionable look before turning their attention to Blaise, who was silently fuming over the actor's snobbish attitude. Snapping out of it, he apologetically shook his head and looked the two in the eyes.

"…Andy and King." Blaise paused for several seconds before going on. "You…are team number one."

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 1****st**** Place, 7:42 A.M.**

"WOOHOO! First again!" hollered Andy.

King smirked. "And that means…"

"Yeah. You two are one of three teams racing for the million Smash in the final leg." Blaise confirmed.

"Yes! Just what we've wanted to hear from the beginning!" Andy hooted.

"Got that right." King agreed.

"That's not all…let me continue." Blaise cleared his throat. "As the winners of this twelfth leg of the race, you two have both won a two-week long vacation here in Neon Heights, and an all-expense paid service stay at one of the most famous resorts in the area, 'The Neon Star.' During that stay, you will be free to roam the city as you please, and have priority access to all movies and plays that you desire, along with the opportunity to spend time with five actors or actresses of your choice. You can enjoy that after the race…and I have a feeling you will…"

Upon hearing that, the eyes of the best friends lit up.

"Spend time with any actors or 'actresses' of our choosing, huh…" Andy repeated. "Sweet deal…"

"Definitely, dawg…we'll be livin' in the lap of luxury and accomplished dreams…" King murmured.

"If you choose to get some sleep before your departure, you two will most likely be the most well rested of the top three…whereas they might have to seek out a place to stay on their own, you've already been prepared pre-paid taxi service to a nearby hotel that will be assigned to bring you back here for when you need to leave." Blaise informed. "Oh, and there's one more thing I forgot to mention…you can bring another party with you on that aforementioned vacation."

"Really now?" King lifted an eyebrow. "Sounds cool…I think I got my idea of who I'd wanna bring…"

"Heh, I think I have the same thoughts as you…" Andy chuckled.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 2)**

"Come on, sis! You can do it!"

Having chosen to perform the Roadblock for her team, the green-haired Too saddled up for another turn at bat, lifting it to its position. Although her previous swings had failed, she was determined to make up for it this time.

"Here I go!" Too declared.

The opposing Koopa threw a straight pitch down the middle. For some unspoken reason, Too decided to let it go by.

"Strike!"

"…She didn't swing at it?" To murmured in confusion. "Er…okay…go, sis!"

The pitcher prepared another attempt, charging up before releasing. This one was a trick throw; the ball went around the edge of the plate. Seeing this before it happened, Too didn't move her arms from their bent position.

"Ball!"

A little frustrated that his strategy hadn't worked to shake the female Toad, the Koopa started the wind up for another toss before liberating the white ball for the third pitch. This time, Too decided to try a crack at it—she swung and made a hit to the infield, forcing the third baseman to leave his normal position to run after the ball. She safely made it to first.

"Alright! Now the others just have to try and get hits!" To exclaimed.

**Hamma & Flare / Shimi & Waitress (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 1)**

Due to the timing of the brothers' arrival, they had to wait for the teams to cycle through their turns at bat before they could go. This meant that Waitress had another shot at the task before Hamma could give a first try.

"Come on, Waitress! Get it this slime!" Shimi cheered.

Flare looked over at the Cheep-Cheep with an odd expression. "…He is so weird…"

The Shy Guy attacked with a solid throw down the center that shifted slightly to the left at the last second. Waitress obviously swung at it, and missed.

"Strike!"

"What in the world was that?" Waitress demanded. "I thought these teams were amateur, not professional!"

If the mask could've been seen through, it would've seemed that the Shy Guy smiled at the unintentional accolade. Nevertheless, he prepared for another pitch and let loose with another stunning change-up. It wasn't as good as the first, but again, Waitress was unable to predict it, and ended up swinging way too early.

"ACK!"

"Strike!"

"Looks like I'm armed with a decent pitcher on my side…" Hamma mused with a smirk from the dugout.

"That's so unfair! I'm a newbie, you…you…URGH!" Waitress made a frustrated noise before putting herself back into a waiting position. "Come on! Haven't you ever heard of 'going easy?!'"

Shrugging diffidently (with a hint of I-don't-care mixed in), the Shy Guy threw a third pitch. It roared straight down the plate, not even curving at all. Waitress…missed.

"AAARGH!" Waitress let out a high-pitched scream of frustration. "Why can't I hit the stupid ball! I hate this so much!"

As the Toad girl stormed back to her team's dugout, Hamma grinned. He uncomplainingly waited out the rest of the opposing team's turn at bat (which seemed oddly thrown; the other two batters either seemed to miss on purpose, or didn't swing at good pitches), and stood up when it was his turn, and the rest of his team came back to momentarily rest in the dugout.

Walking up to the plate, Hamma playfully swung the heavy wooden bat as if it was a hammer, the type that he wielded under normal circumstances. He made a 'come-on' type of gesture with his chin at the pitching Toad on the other team, and fell into position.

"Well, bro…don't you dare waste time on this…" Flare muttered under his breath.

The Toad wound up and flipped in a somersault as he released the baseball in a straight pitch down the center. Noticing this, Hamma smirked and swung.

CRAACK!

Almost instantly, all heads and eyes turned to watch as the baseball elegantly flew clear over the outfield and over the fence. It was a home run.

"…All right, then…" Flare said, his eyes widening.

"…Whoa…" Shimi gawked.

"What the…how'd HE do that?!" Waitress shrieked.

Rounding the bases, Hamma showed off by beating against the underside of his shell and flexing his arms, as well as even briefly stopping at second base to spin out and break dance. When he reached home plate again, the umpire got up from his crouching position.

"…Either beginner's luck or extreme skill…I don't know how you did that, but…you get this, deserving or not."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 1)**

"It's from working out using a hammer, bud. Deal with it." Hamma informed the shocked Lakitu, taking the envelope and galloping excitedly back over to Flare.

"…Show off." Flare muttered.

"Yeah, whatever…you know you couldn't do that even if you tried." Hamma teased. "That just goes to show you that my upper arm strength is better, and I'd knock you out in a heartbeat with those gloves!"

"…Just open the clue already…" Flare retorted, breathing out a little bit of warning flame.

The brothers started back towards the northern entrance of the park.

"'Using the keys and number code enclosed with this envelope, make your way by taxi to the last pit stop at the Starrit Apartment Complex's ninth building, at the top floor's furthest room.'" Hamma read. "All right…go get a taxi!"

"Why me?"

"'Cuz, I'm the one that did the Roadblock…and rocked at it!"

"…Whatever! Quit gloating!"

After a bit of searching, Flare managed to hail a taxi and get it to stop. Without any more wasted time, the two jumped in after depositing their backpacks and giving the destination to the driver.

**To & Too: Sisters (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 2)**

"Man…that crack of the bat and that home run just made me lose my concentration!" Too apologized to her sister. "I didn't even realize that the baseman had gotten the ball and was running after me!"

To sighed. "…It's okay…if you make another hit on the next pitch, we might have an edge over the only other team still here…they're having trouble."

"Yeah…" Too sadly looked over at the other field. "I just hope that she gets lucky…"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 1)**

"This is just great…there's no way we can make it into the top three now…" Waitress sniffed, holding her head in her hands as tears started brimming in the corners of her eyes. "I didn't want to have to face off against the sisters again…but now…they have us beat…"

"Don't play that…" Shimi comforted. "We still have a prance at it…come on, you can still do it…"

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Entrance)**

Getting out of their cab, the major leaguers paid the driver the necessary amount before pulling their backpacks out of the trunk and heading up to the electronic keypad. Hamma quickly punched in the code, and Flare took care of the lock guarding the following door. They rushed down the hallway and into the main part of the building. Noting that the elevator wasn't readily available, the two opted to instead run up the stairs. Due to their having to carry the heavy bags on their shells, the two tripped and stumbled quite a few times on the way up, but managed to make it up to the top floor.

"That's the wrong key, you numbskull! It's the other one we didn't already use!" Flare reprimanded.

"Okay, okay!" Hamma roughly shoved the other key into the slot and turned it, opening the door. "There, happy?!"

Panting heavily from the seven-flight run, the brothers tiredly leapt onto the mat.

"Zip T., you idiot…" Blaise growled under his breath.

Said Toad waved over at the brothers from the table at which he sat, gulping down the last bits of a soufflé before finishing up a mousse and glass of milk before leaping over to the spot behind the mat…all within the impossible time span of several seconds.

"Welcome to my apartment, guys!" Zip greeted. Blaise slapped his forehead in annoyance.

"…A big star like you lives in a dump—er…place like this?" Hamma questioned.

"Only for a fraction of a day per year on my annual tour…"

"Shut up." Blaise commanded, pushing the actor back towards the kitchen. "Go finish up your make-up or something…"

The specialized Koopas scratched their heads.

"Urgh…" Blaise turned back towards the two guys. "Sorry about that… Anyway. Hamma and Flare…you are the second team to arrive, but because of the Mismatch Rod's effect, you will have to wait out a thirty-minute penalty before I can check you in."

"Yeah…we didn't forget that easily." Flare snorted.

Walking off of the mat, the brothers went over and plopped down on a nearby bed.

"We're safe anyway…the other teams were having so much trouble with that baseball task, there's no way they can catch up." Hamma estimated.

"Hey, that's MY bed!"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 2)**

After waiting out another inning, Too was back at the plate and ready to try and make up for the accidental mistake of not paying attention after her first success. On the first pitch that the Koopa threw, she swung a bit early and missed.

"Strike!"

"Come on, sis! You can do this!" promoted To. "You've got it!"

"I sure hope so!" Too responded loudly, pulling the bat back up behind her head.

The Koopa tossed another pitch to the plate. It curved slightly before reaching the space above the white shape.

CRACK!

"She hit it! She hit it!" To yelled excitedly. "Go, go, go!"

Although the ball only made it to the left side of the field between the third baseman and the outfielder positioned behind him, there was a bit of confusion as to who was supposed to retrieve it. When the ball was back in sure and steady hands, Too had reached second base.

"Yay!" Too hollered. "Come on, send me home!"

Stepping up to the plate, the batting Goomba took a few practice swings before settling into the final position. The Koopa threw his first pitch to the new batter as a straightforward fly down the middle.

CRACK!

It was a hit; the Goomba had managed to slug the ball back into the outfield. Taking this opportunity, Too started to run, but stopped and quickly turned back upon noticing something.

"Out!"

The center Koopa had caught the ball in the air. However, now free to move, the green-haired Toad girl dashed for third. The ball flew to the third baseman, but it arrived in the glove about a second too late.

"Whoo, that was close…" To breathed. "Risky move there, sis…be especially careful on this last one…"

A Toad waddled up to the plate as the third batter, and stretched his feet out for a moment before falling into a ready position. The Koopa threw a curveball to the outside that quickly curved back inward; he slammed it with the bat, aiming for the spot between the center and right outfielders, and succeeded.

"Yeah! Alright!" To cheered.

Upon seeing the baseball bounce, Too charged for home, doing a cartwheel on the way. Her foot touched the edge of the fourth base. When the play was over, the umpire halted the game, stood up, and pulled an envelope out from under his clothing.

"You successfully completed the task. Here's your clue."

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 3****rd**** (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 2)**

"Okay, thank you very much!" Too smiled, accepting the yellow and black closed folder. She hurried out of the dugout and over to To before handing it over and putting the backpack over her shoulders.

"'Using the keys and number code enclosed with this envelope, make your way by taxi to the last pit stop at the Starrit Apartment Complex's ninth building, at the top floor's furthest room.'" To read. "Great…we're out of money, and now we have to go for the pit stop."

"Well, now's our only opportunity to go begging. Come on, maybe we can find some kind hearts over there!" Too pointed.

"What about Shim-Stress?"

"What about?"

"I don't want to…um…you know…" To sighed dejectedly.

"…Neither do I…but if we want to stay in, we have no other choice…sadly, we can't just give up like that out of kindness…" Too bit her lip. "Let's go ahead and go…if we busy ourselves, it won't bother us too much if we end up having to beat them out…"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 1)**

"Strike! Out!"

"…I absolutely, positively, really, really, HATE this…"

Stomping back over to the dugout, a disconsolate Waitress miserably plopped back down on the bench.

"This is just so hard…I don't think I'm able to do this…" she muttered shakily, wiping the wetness from her eyes as Shimi bounced over to her. "…Our friends are already finished, aren't they…"

Shimi nodded. "Yeah, they just got their clot—clue, and I think they're trying to raise the money for a taxi."

"…That gives us some time, I think…" Waitress sniffed. "We were their only other source, and I guess they know it's pointless to ask us now…"

"…Yeah…"

A short inning later, the purple-haired Toad girl was sent back up to bat.

"Good luck…" Shimi whispered.

Taking her stand at the plate, Waitress tried her best to hide her spilled feelings from the opposing team as she waited for the ball to be thrown. The Shy Guy threw a first pitch that whistled through the air as it flew towards the catcher's mitt. She misjudged it and didn't swing at the decent throw.

"Strike!"

"…Oh, shoot..." Waitress said in a low voice.

The Shy Guy received the ball from the catcher and waited a few seconds before trying a second throw that ended up curving far to the outside. Waitress actually swung at it.

"Strike!"

Shimi's hopeful expression plummeted. Waitress blinked in disbelief.

"Last decent chance…great…" she muttered.

Seeing his opportunity, the Shy Guy wound up and threw the third pitch. It quickly slowed into a devastating change-up that was more of a beauty than the first one he had demonstrated.

"…No…" Shimi gasped.

However…Waitress shocked everybody by holding the bat out and lightly bunting it towards third base. It bounced along the line, forcing the pitcher and catcher to give chase as she dropped her bat and made a mad dash for first.

"Come on, you can shake it!" Shimi encouraged.

Just as Waitress slid into the first base, the ball was thrown by the pitcher to the baseman. She was proclaimed safe.

"…Phew…now if I can just make it back to home…"

**To & Too: Sisters (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Soccer Field 3)**

"Excuse me, but could I bother you for a little bit of money?" To asked another Toad who was strolling along the grass. "I know it sounds crazy, but my sister and I, we have to get some money for a taxi ride, and we have none at all on us…"

Digging around in his pockets, the Toad slowly shook his head up and down once. "Uh…sure." He took out a few coins. "I only have about five coins to spare, though…would that work?"

"It's perfect. Great. Thank you." To nodded, gratefully grasping the Toad's hands as she took the money. "If I ever found the opportunity, I would pay you back these five."

Chuckling, the Toad stepped back. "Sure…um…just don't hurt yourself, okay?"

Agreeing to the concept, To quickly uttered her thanks again before rushing back over to Too, who had just finished talking to another pedestrian.

"Yeah…thanks, anyways…" Too responded with a sigh. She turned to her sister. "He couldn't give anything…a dud."

"It's okay…I got five more." To said, showing the five shining coins. Too held out the credit card and the change zipped in, making the coin count rise. "Now we just need about ten or so more to cover the entire ride…"

"Yeah, but it's like only every one out of three people is even willing to give anything…" Too heaved another sigh. "Come on, let's try those guys…"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 1)**

Two batters had been unlucky enough to strike out, succumbing to the rival pitcher's mastery of the change-up and astonishing curveballs. Waitress had yet to budge from first base, and the fourth batter, a Piranha Plant, waddled up to the plate, a green bat in his leaves.

"Please make a hit…please, come on…" Waitress quietly begged.

The Shy Guy wound up and pitched the ball to the new hitter. Trying to hit, the Piranha Plant attempted to connect, but somehow swung a bit too low, and the ball spiraled out of control to the far side.

"Foul ball!"

Receiving the ball again, the Shy Guy threw the second pitch. This time, the Piranha Plant swung and hit the ball square with a good spot on the bat. The white baseball flew up into the air…

"Alright!" Waitress took this as her cue to take off running.

…and bounced off of the far fence, forcing the outfielders to run over and get it.

"Go, partner, go!" Shimi rooted, clapping his fins together.

While the Piranha Plant clumsily moved his roots as he moved about, Waitress sprinted at what full-speed her endurance allowed as she crossed the second and third bases, her intentions clearly set on not taking a chance on a fifth batter and making the round for home on the play. However, a Snifit on the outfield was the one to retrieve the baseball, and used a special spit-throw to rocket the ball back to the infielders. Although the Piranha Plant was visibly the easier target, the black Shy Guy on second was evidently aimed at stopping the runner from making it to fourth. So, he threw the ball at the catcher.

"Slide for it!" Shimi shouted.

Seeing the ball traveling towards the catcher, Waitress made a frantic dive for home plate, skidding across the uncovered patch of dirt and sending dust flying up into the air. When it finally cleared enough, the umpire looked at the scene—the catcher had his mitt with the ball in hand tagged onto Waitress' shoulder, and she was lying across home. He quickly made a decision.

"Safe!" he declared, making the appropriate sign.

"YES! YEAH!" Waitress screamed, standing up. "I did it, Shimi! I did it!"

"Woo-hoo!"

"It took you a long while, but you deserve to pass after that tough time you had," stated the umpire. He held out an envelope.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in Last (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Baseball Field 1)**

"Thank you so much…" Waitress shook the umpire's hand, taking the clue at the same time. "You don't know how much this means to me!"

She ran over to an excited Shimi and skidded to a halt, opening the envelope.

"Quick, read it!" Shimi commanded.

"'Using the keys and number code enclosed with this envelope, make your way by taxi to the last pit stop at the Starrit Apartment Complex's ninth building, at the top floor's furthest room.'" Waitress read. "Alright; we should have enough money to make it to the final pit stop! Come on, Shimi! Hurry!"

Scooping up her backpack, Waitress didn't even bother putting it on as she raced across the grass back to the northern entrance, Shimi flopping behind. Upon coming to the street, she was quick in finding a taxi and hailing it over.

"Sir, we need to go to the Starrit Apartment Complex, building nine." Waitress informed. "Fast as you can, please!"

The chef Cheep-Cheep arrived on the scene, and the two placed their packs into the back of the van before getting in.

**To & Too: Sisters (Fourbase Pinnacle Park, Northern Entrance)**

At the same time, the female team had just obtained enough money to hopefully completely cover the fare to the final pit stop, and rushed over to the sidewalk just as the taxi of their allies departed. Luckily, another patrolling car was nearby, and they hurried over to it.

"Hi, we need to go to the ninth building of the Starrit Apartment Complex." Too stated.

Unlike the Excess Express workers, the sisters didn't even bother depositing their packs into the back; they clambered into the taxi and placed the bulky bags on their lap as they buckled in, and the taxi took off.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Entrance)**

"Thank you!"

Getting out, the pair paid the driver of their taxi the appropriate fare, and found their card depleted down to a humble amount with only two Smash to spare. They gave it no mind as they rushed around to the back and pulled out their backpacks before hurrying up to the front gate.

"Hurry, what's the code?" Waitress asked anxiously.

As a second taxi rounded the corner, the female Toad punched in the code, and the lock clinked open. While the sisters paid their driver with a few coins remaining in their pockets, the co-workers opened the gate and rushed to the keyhole, where Shimi inserted and turned it. In a strange twist of grace and respect, they left both open as they ran down the hallway, allowing To and Too to follow along, unimpeded by any obstacles. Upon reaching the second entrance into the main part of the building, however, the "Shim-Stress" team found luck was on their side—someone had brought the elevator back down to ground floor. They pulled the door open and got in, pressing the button for the top, closing the flaps. Shortly after, the pink and green-haired females arrived on the scene, to find the blue door closed and only the back of the lift visible through the blurry window.

"Quick, we have to use the stairs!" To advised.

Backtracking shortly to drop off their bags outside the door that led in, the sisters started rushing up the stairs two at a time, balancing themselves with the wall and the rails. Without anything else weighing them down except for exhaustion and pressure, they started setting their own fast pace in comparison to the slow ascension of the elevator…

**Team ? (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Top Floor, Room 710)**

The lock to the small dwelling was opened, and the door flew to the side as a team rushed in. Bizarrely enough, Hamma and Flare had already been standing on the mat, and had to lean back to avoid being ran into. Seconds later, the second team hurried through the open door and joined the foursome on the other edge of the mat.

"Hey, you other four people! Welcome to my apartment overlooking Neon Hei—hello, chicks…" Zip trailed off, eyeing the bodies of To and Too, who avoided his gaze, their attention instead fixated on Blaise, as with the other two duos.

All expressions were unreadable as Blaise took it upon himself to glance into the eyes of all six people. He coughed and cleared his throat before speaking.

"This was a really close call, guys…much closer than anything that's ever happened before." Blaise informed the group. "As you all know, Hamma and Flare incurred their thirty-minute penalty and arrived here a while earlier, but it had yet to expire until you guys—" he looked at the alliance, "—came in. This finish is probably even closer than what happened back at Giant Land…or even Lakitu Valley in the first race…you guys have finishing times that are only within seconds of each other."

The tension could almost be seen mounting in the air as the three teams absorbed every word, taking it in, knowing that the results were about to come out.

"However…it wasn't close enough for me to judge who got what." Blaise stated. "…Team number two is…Shimi and Waitress."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 2****nd**** Place, 8:23 A.M.**

"…We're second?" Shimi asked in shock. "But the Ham-bros…"

"Were waiting for their penalty to expire on the mat." Blaise finished. "Be glad and rest easy; you two will be leaving on the ultimate final leg as the second of the three teams racing for the grand prize."

"…That's a…relief…" Waitress nodded halfheartedly. She and Shimi exchanged a hug before pulling away to see the final part of the decision.

The brothers and sisters nervously looked at each other before looking back at Blaise. They both knew; one of them was going to get the final axe from the game.

"Really close call this time around…seriously." Blaise closed his eyes for a second. "Only one of you can advance on…and the third team to check in was…"

Shimi and Waitress held their breaths.

Hamma and Flare felt sweat running down their necks.

To and Too apprehensively gulped.

Zip T. couldn't care less about what happened.

Blaise sighed. "…To and Too."

**To & Too: Sisters- 3****rd**** Place, 8:24 A.M.**

A huge sigh of relief burst from the lips of the two thankful sisters as they embraced, calmly content to hear the good news being directed towards them. On the other hand, the brothers just looked at each other, their faces contorted in a mixture of disappointment and displeasure.

"You two round out the final three racing in the final leg for the one million Smash coins." Blaise confirmed. He then turned to the Hammer and Fire Brothers.

"Sorry, guys…" To and Too whispered simultaneously.

"Hamma and Flare…your penalty just expired approximately a second after To and Too jumped onto the mat." Blaise informed. "Therefore, that makes you the last team to check in."

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- Last Place, 8:24 A.M.**

"Lay it on us so we can get over it faster…" Flare said understandingly. "We got it; we just ran out of luck on this one…"

"Yeah…cutting it close too many times ended up being what got us cut." Hamma agreed.

"It sure was." Blaise nodded. "I'm sorry to tell you that you've been eliminated from the race," he apologized.

A few moments passed before anyone spoke again.

"It had to be someone…just guess it was us this time." Hamma sighed. "Fourth isn't too bad, but we were looking to take it all the way…"

"Then again…you gotta admit, it's the best we could do, and we made a pretty darn good placing, even with our strategy." Flare commented.

"In the beginning of this race, Flare and I were a complete mess…we fought a whole lot, and we just couldn't get it together; it was a slow start for us, even though we seemed to have our act in place as a strong team. When we resorted to using that scrambler on our rivals, I guess it just sealed our fate entirely in the long run…it ended up dumping on us at the last possible second to keep us from participating in the final leg." Hamma said impassively. "I guess that what really matters is that we finally managed to at least cement some kind of teamwork between us…as the race went on, we ended up fighting less and less…and even in this twelfth leg, it only just came down to friendly arguments. Out of everything, that's what counts the most…the brotherly bond we got out of the experience…it's sure to help our overall teamwork as a fighting force back in the Glitz Pit."

"We got into a ton of deep trouble throughout the race, but that was the backbone of the fun we had…or at least, what I had." Flare continued. "It's like we became the target for close calls…every single time, we'd come out of it just barely hanging in place, keeping our positions as racers in this competition. But when life gives you the opportunity, you just have to take a chance…and that's exactly what we did. We didn't always play safe, but we gave it our all, expecting either exiting rich or ending bankrupt. I won't lie; this race was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and it's a pleasure to be able to walk away, saying I did it. Although we won't be in the running for the million, it doesn't matter…Hamma and I will be there to greet the ones who win it in the end. We won what we wanted…"

"Oh, by the way, guys…I have some…good news for you." Blaise mentioned. The brothers perked back up.

"Really…and would that be letting us back in?" Hamma joked.

"No." Blaise responded flatly. "You still remember your old pals Andy and King, right?"

"…No duh." Flare replied. "Come on, just spare us the suspense and give it to us already…we've had enough of the cliffhangers for one day."

"All right. Well…you see, for winning this leg of the race, they won a two-week vacation to stay here in Neon Heights, and had the option to bring along some company to enjoy the full ride with them." Blaise explained. "They said that even though they know you guys already won some stuff…you two would be the ones they'd most desire to bring back with them…most likely to patch things up, especially after this hair-raising race."

A little stunned at the revelation, Hamma and Flare looked at each other again.

"…Whoa…really now…that's crazy…" Flare chuckled.

"I guess they just want to keep their hides safe from the entire major league locker room pouncing on them when we get back home…" Hamma joked. "Sounds cool…"

"Yeah, but if they win the million…they're gonna be the ones paying for our souvenirs." Flare added. "…That is…unless one of you guys takes it instead."

The alliance teams looked at each other approvingly.

"We'll do our best, we can assure you that…" To grinned.

"Yeah…we didn't come all this way for nothing." Waitress agreed.

"You'll see us back at the finish line, don't worry." Too offered.

"And you better have a feast ready!" Shimi exclaimed. "I'm starving!"

Silence occurred as the group looked at the Cheep-Cheep strangely before bursting out into friendly laughter. Momentary good-byes and hugs were exchanged before Hamma and Flare started out the hall with their bags in tow, giving each other brotherly biffs over the shoulder as they rounded the corner.

The morning light over Neon Heights continually grew stronger as the sun went on with its ascent into the sky. Although the final team had been eliminated from the race, there were still things yet to come to look forward to…the final leg was upon the top three…and all nine eliminated teams would be there to see who would be crossing at the finish line.

-----

_Next time, on the second part of the season finale of the Amazing Race…_

_A time-consuming Roadblock forces teams to wait at the mercy of nature._

"It's all out of their control now…they just have to wait until a fish decides to tug on one of their strings…" Too observed.

"This is just great…our fate lies in the hands of a fish." Andy remarked.

_Shimi finds himself stopped cold by one of the challenges._

"Come on, Shimi! Focus!"

"I'm locusting—er—focusing!"

Unfortunately, upon making it halfway up the incline, Shimi accidentally lost his hold on the snowball, and it crashed back down to the bottom.

"Urgh…" He moaned, bounding back down again.

_At the final task, the teams battle it out._

"What leg was that again?"

"Okay, I can't remember that one…just skip it…"

"Was that leg three or leg four?"

_And one of these three teams will win…_

Rushing into the middle of the street, Andy and King flagged down a cab.

_…one…_

Stopping a local for directions, Shimi and Waitress showed him their map.

_…million…_

Hurrying through the airport, To and Too dashed at full-sprint side-by-side.

_…Smash coins. Which one of the final three teams will it be? Stay tuned to find out…_

-----

Leg 12 Trivia 

- An author's note in the beginning of the leg gives an explanation of how Neon Heights is viewed for the race in comparison to the games. Although the note states that three other legs had Mario Party-made locations, only Leg 2 had another of the notes in its section. The reason being is that the explanation does not hold true for Leg 7, as the actual Pyramid Park was kept in its original form, with cities placed around it; Leg 9, on the other hand, held the same case as Legs 2 and 12, but was more obvious due to the existence of no cities around Astro Avenue in the game, and therefore making it pointless to point out.

- The "Statue of Liberation" of Neon Heights parodies the "Statue of Liberty" in real life New York. Although the author did not even step foot on the island on which that actual monument was, he was able to view it in the nighttime on a boat ride to and from one of the surrounding areas.

- One of the additional tasks in this leg involved teams reconstructing the parts for a scale replica's wall; this was derived from the painstakingly long experience the author had in using quick-drying glue to piece together twenty wall pieces for a project.

- The location of the pit stop for this leg of the race was based on a location visited by the author while on vacation in Paris, France.

- Um…the author has very little knowledge about baseball? Yeah, that's it…the awful, obvious truth.

-----

Author's Note: The final leg...is coming...


	15. Leg 13 Finale: Cash Cold, Victory Claim!

Loading the Memory Card… The save file in Slot B has been loaded!

…

_Previously, on the Amazing Race…_

"GO!"

_Twelve teams of two, each with a special relationship, departed the lush jungles of Keelhaul Key in a journey around the world…unaware of where they would go, what tasks they would face, or even how their very relationship would handle the stress of traveling. Member connections varied from siblinghood to marriage…co-workers to teacher-and-student…fighters to dating…friendship to things._

_In the first leg of the race, the dozen teams were split onto two ferries that sailed the seas to the first new destination: the metropolis known as Mushroom City. Things got off to a bumpy start as several teams ended up getting lost due to bad taxis. Eventually, all teams passed through a task involving a maddening ride down a zip line._

"WHOA, CRAAAAAAAAAP!"

"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"That was actually sort of fun." Zess T. chortled.

_Once more the order was scrambled as all were divided amongst three departure times for the next morning, which set the basic form of how teams finished. Before taking a bus to the pit stop, teams partook in a Detour choice between the theatrical arts and challenging kart driving._

"Awesome, now we can try going around the whole race track! This'll be cool!" Andy exclaimed, pushing the gas pedal forward.

"YES!" Queen exclaimed. "I knew my expertise would get us through!"

Pa-Patch quickly grabbed a bright yellow comedy mask, with Toadia obtaining a pink one and putting it on her face.

_Andy and King led the pack, edging out brothers Hamma and Flare for a close first-place finish. The race to the pit stop for three other teams was similar in nature as a three-way rush off the bus showed which two were safe. In the end, best friends Screamy and Torque ended up jumping onto the mat in last._

-----

_Leg number two sent teams testing their luck at the festive, yet calm city of Faire Square. Arriving on the last flight, Toodles and Toadia were astonished to find the marked car of the Smorg waiting for them in the parking lot, but theirs gone._

"They better be penalized for this…" Toodles groaned angrily.

_As other teams left the Roadblock, Pa-Patch and Cortez fought against Husband and Wife for the highly expensive Fast Forward._

"We're going to really run out of money fast…" Wife muttered incredulously.

"We're getting low…we better do somefin' before we go flat broke." Pa-Patch warned.

_Friends Pungry and Pungent argued after getting lost._

"We didn't just get lost! WE'RE LOST! WE LOST, FLAT OUT!" Pungent shouted.

_An irksome Detour set in a festive casino disrupted the flow of some teams. A few struggled their way through by playing pachinko…_

"Okay…that SUCKED." Hamma stated on their first go at the pachinko machine.

"Oh, move that row to the left! No!" To cried as one of the balls fell into an unused hole.

_…While others had to depend on luck to push them through roulette._

"This is taking forever…" Bandy Andy realized.

"This is just great…we've only got ONE! It's all YOUR fault, Beldam!" Queen pointed fingers.

_En route to the pit stop, the sisters' marked car broke down._

"Well, at least we're safe…that's the good thing…" To sighed, hugging her sister reassuringly.

_In the end, winning the Fast Forward didn't land married couple Husband and Wife the top spot, as Shimi and Waitress were able to gather their good fortune and obtained first place. Although they fought hard to catch up throughout the leg, pirates Pa-Patch and Cortez were unable to avoid arriving in last._

-----

_The third leg of the race saw teams distributed amongst four flights to Glowflower, Sparkle Bay. At the first Yield of the race, an astonished Toodles and Toadia learned that they'd been Yielded by one of the most unlikely teams._

Toadia sighed as she flipped the hourglass over. The Smorg had Yielded THEM.

_Having seen no way to possibly overtake the rivals from their flight, best friends Pungry and Pungent opted to go for the Fast Forward._

"Finally we're done! Thank you!" Pungent hooted, taking the envelope. Pungry just sat there, too stuffed to move.

"…I…feel…like I'm gonna…explode…" Pungry muttered slowly, but Pungent ignored him.

_At the Roadblock, where team members climbed a palm tree to retrieve a team flag, several teams had to deal with bickering between married couple Husband and Wife._

"Hurry up, babe! The other teams are already here!" Husband yelled out at his spouse.

"I'm trying! You don't know how hard it is to grip this thing!" Wife shouted back.

"Really?! That's a surprise! It looks fine to me!"

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU GRIM-FACED IMBECILE! YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING!"

"LOOK IN THE MIRROR!"

_Speeding through the challenges to catch up, sisters To and Too claimed a spectacular first-place finish, while the Fast Forward-using Punis accepted fifth. Although they had originally taken a penalty, the Smorg were proclaimed safe, and the Yielded teacher-student team was tenth to plant their flag._

-----

_Giant Land became the fourth destination for the marathon around the world. __Although the group was originally split by two flights, operation hours forced them to bunch up. While searching for clues inside of a store, Flare squared off with King._

"Dude! That ain't cool, yo!" King K. snapped as he landed on his shell, the result of being tripped by an outstretched foot. He managed to get up and blockade the aisle.

"I don't care! Get outta my way!" Flare shoved the Koopa out of his path.

_At Massive Mountain, several team members enjoyed an exhilarating hang gliding experience._

"WHOA! THIS IS SO COOL!" Hamma shouted above the roar of the wind.

"I FEEL LIKE AN ANGEL FLOATING DOWN TO MY OWN ANGEL ON EARTH!" Husband laughed heartily.

"Oh my gosh, I feel like some kind of awesome!" Waitress gushed. "This is SO cool!"

_With first-place on the line, three teams swerved into a scary situation._

"DANG! WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!" Flare cried out, clutching onto the steering wheel as the car completely spun out.

"DUDE, I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT!" Hamma yelled.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Wife screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Husband roared over the skidding noise his car made as it spun around.

"OH, CRAP! WATCH OUT FOR THEIR CAR!" Zess warned.

"I CAN'T STOP!" Toadsworth gasped as his brakes didn't respond.

_Hamma and Flare managed to escape the havoc and reach first place. For the Smorg, things weren't so simple—they ended up arriving last, but were lucky enough to remain._

"…I am…not exactly pleased, however, to inform you that this is the first of three non-elimination legs in the race." Blaise said, trying to avert his eyes from the bouncing discs.

-----

_Unscrambling the name of the next target, the Beanbean Kingdom, was the first task in the fifth leg. At the airport, as teams one by one bought tickets, Pungry and Pungent found themselves in a bind. Seeing no other way to get out of it, the two frantically turned to Hamma and Flare for assistance._

"Well…you know how those other three teams allied?" Flare started.

"Yeah…they didn't share any info with us, either." Pungry mumbled.

"Not a surprise…they want to stick together and knock the rest of us off, man. They're a real threat to our success…this is how we get rid of 'em…" Flare muttered, a glint of malevolence in his eye.

_Upon encountering the first Hazard of the race, To and Too opted to perform it, and managed to pass Harhall's expectations to obtain a rod._

"…No…actually, maybe we should take the Leech Rod."

"Are you sure?" Too questioned.

"No, but we need to make up our minds and leave…so, let's just get it." To decided.

_At the Detour, Queen fumbled by getting caught in her team's own snare._

"BELDAM, YOU IDIOT! WHY'D YOU MOVE THE TRAP AND MAKE IT HARD FOR ME TO SEE IT?!" Queen shrieked.

"What are you talking about?! I've been sitting here the whole time!" Beldam argued.

_Later on, at the Roadblock, an impatient Shimi's continuing reminders drove a late Waitress over the edge._

"Please, Shimi! Just shut up and let me do it my way! You're not helping me!" Waitress screamed through tears.

_However, the lead teams received a nasty surprise at what they thought was the pit stop…_

Miles held out two clue envelopes to the surprised teams.

"…Wait…is this some kind of sick joke? Why are you giving us a clue envelope?" Flare queried.

"Yeah…you just checked us in…" Andy trailed off.

"Sorry, guys…but…as you can see, this leg of the race…it isn't over."

"…It isn't over?" Hamma repeated. "Okay, this ain't cool…"

"What? It ain't yet over?" Wife gawked. "Oh, you're kidding…"

"…Aww, yer kiddin'!" Pungent groaned, and halfheartedly opened the clue.

_An equalizer forced the teams together at an overnight stay, leveling the playing field for the next day. In an attempt to pull away from the pack, Beldam and Queen went for the Fast Forward, but met some problems._

"…We're never going to finish this Fast Forward…maybe we should just go to the main track…" Beldam muttered.

_Meanwhile, the rest of the teams set out to sea by boat and headed to the freezing Joke's End, encountering a Detour that tested their endurance and tolerance of the cold and each other._

"It's so cold out here…and I'm sweating…" To murmured, wiping her brow.

"Dear, you better not be implying that I'm not helping, because I am!" Wife shouted as she filled a bowl up with soup from the cauldron.

"Come on, bro! Once you get that done, we can get out of this stupid place! My nose is running…" Hamma complained, swinging a large hammer towards the block.

_Although the main-track teams spread out upon encountering the Detour, no one was prepared for the Roadblock, which bunched the teams up together once again. Physical limits were tested as a tricky surfing course became the ultimate obstacle for many team members._

"No one has even popped them all yet…I'm starting to think that maybe we should take the penalty and head to the pit stop." Waitress muttered.

"Aargh!" Shimi looked on helplessly as too sharp of a turn caused him to miss an Oho Balloon.

"Ow…belly buster…even with a shell…" Flare gritted his teeth as Hamma laughed in the distance. "SHUT UP!"

"OH, SHOOT!" Pungent shouted as his jump failed, and he fell into the water.

_In the end, the Fast Forward paid off, pulling Beldam and Queen to the front with a comfortable lead over the other teams. However, a race to avoid last place came down to the wire as dating couple Zess and Toadsworth narrowly navigated their way to the pit stop minutes before a lost Pungry and Pungent._

-----

_Driving over a hundred miles to the Clayouse Mesas desert took up a lot of time at the beginning of leg six. Initially, the long, stressful drive proved uneventful, but for some, trouble quickly kicked in._

"Could y-you stop driving s-so shakily, y-you f-fool! I'm t-trying to get my b-beauty s-sleep!" Queen complained.

"Nothing in sight but these stupid walls…" Flare muttered.

"Make sure we don't lose them…" Zess reminded absentmindedly, speaking in a tired monotone.

_During the course of the leg, two teams obtained car problems that made them lose a lot of time._

"GREAT! WE HAVE A FLAT TIRE! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, BELDAM!"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMROGSMORG (They better not take too long with the replacement.)"

_Upon arriving in the desert region, brothers Hamma and Flare started cooking up trouble by going for the Hazard…_

"Okay…this is a bit more of a waste of time than I would've liked!" Hamma complained.

_…and chose a rod that would scramble things up for their opponents._

"This'll get someone out for sure…sounds kinda risky, but risky's our style." Flare admitted.

"You've got that right."

_In spite of the occurring action in the leg, the real eye-opener came with another difficult Roadblock, where teams struggled to decipher a tough message in regards to the pit stop._

"There are three three-letter words here…but would one of them really be as common as 'the' or 'and?'" Andy asked himself. "Even if one was, where would I put it?"

"What's this big, strong word? Some of the symbols defeat in other faces…but what letters do they demean?" Shimi muttered. "Urgh, I'm so confused by just talking to my shelf!"

"Gee…uh…I think that since this tells where the pit stop is, two of these words are 'pit stop'…maybe it's these two…" Zess whispered. "I hope I'm right about this…"

"Hmm…" To rubbed her chin, deep in thought.

"This stupid thing is so cryptic! I can't decipher or even understand it!" Wife complained.

_However, age and wisdom proved to go hand-in-hand as Zess pulled ahead and solved the puzzle to claim first with Toadsworth. Conversely, their allies Husband and Wife struggled to catch up throughout the leg, and were unable to complete the Roadblock in time to stop Hamma and Flare from checking in._ _Teams were still even more shocked when the Hazard took effect at the pit stop, as Hamma and Flare did the unthinkable—switch around the members of two teams._

"Give it to them. Who did you switch around for the seventh leg of the race?" Blaise commanded.

"…From the start, we were always really interested in the names of everyone here." Hamma began, searching for words. "Now that we've got this, we thought of something really good."

"Yup. Who here ever thought that we'd have a King and Queen racing together?" Flare joked. "And of course, that means that the mismatched names will be dating for a day…Andy and Beldam."

-----

_With two mixed teams and a pair cursed by penalties, the seventh leg began with flight confusion en route to Chomp Fields. The allies of Team Twilight vowed to do their best to make up for the blow to their alliance._

"Well…I guess I'm as ready as ever." Zess said quietly. "We're not just running this race for ourselves now; we're doing it also for Husband and Wife."

_Feeling sorry for the two brokenhearted teams, To and Too offered to fix the alliance themselves by working together in turn to using their Leech Rod to catch up in placement to Shimi and Waitress._

"It only made the moods worse for Zess and Toadsworth, and Waitress and Shimi, so we offered to work with them in exchange for them allowing us to place near them. So, we plan to help them out and place high so that we won't end up getting a bad start in the following leg."

_For the two mismatched teams, everything went wrong—Andy and Beldam, who had been plotting to help their sister team throughout the leg, were separated from King and Queen._

"Oh, great…if anything, we should've let them buy first…" Beldam groaned.

_When teams encountered yet another eating task, several team members shot ahead, but others immediately faltered._

"Beldam, I have no idea how you're handling this so easily…" Andy stated, taking a large swig from his glass.

"Come on, Toadsworth…you're worthy of this. Keep on going…" Zess said kindly, pushing her struggling partner along with her very words.

"We're taking way too long to do this…" Too said, sweating.

Seconds after receiving his plate, Flare downed every single scrap without breaking a sweat.

_While scrambling for position for a charter flight, the brothers clashed with the sisters._

Although the brothers barreled into the ticket reservation area, a few moments of hopeless searching caused them to fall behind the Toad sisters, who quickly spotted the marked counter. However, just as they reached the desk, the guys dove under the ropes and moved in front, barely missing the girls' feet with their outstretched legs.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" Too demanded, stumbling as she tried to stop.

"Seriously. We got here first for the reservations, so you shouldn't try to cut in front of us." To warned.

"These ticket agents are meant for everybody, girls. She's going to help us get on that charter right now." Hamma replied smartly, referring to the Monty Mole sitting behind the computer.

_King managed to get Queen, his eccentric partner, to clean her plate._

"Just promise me this…I know that we ain't teammates after this leg…but tryin' your hardest can make up for the time you spent lamentin' over nothin'. Make up for it."

_Somehow, Andy and Beldam's teamwork boosted them to the top. However, the plan of Hamma and Flare backfired when King and Queen arrived before their penalty expired. Luckily for them, it was the second of three planned non-elimination legs._

-----

_Leg eight ushered teams to the isle of Kong Island. Due to the Leech Rod forcing them a four-hour penalty, To and Too met trouble when asking for a flight with the rest of the teams._

"Our next flight leaves at 3:00 tomorrow morning and arrives at 9:00 in the evening. Would you like me to put you on that one?"

"…This is definitely an elimination leg…there's no way we can take a risk like that, even with the Fast Forward." To murmured.

"I understand perfectly, ma'am. I deal with this kind of thing all the time. Be on time, and you might make the next flight."

"Please let us on…we're begging you!" To pleaded.

"Really! It's mandatory we get on this flight out!" Too added.

_After some hair-raising moments, the sisters were let on._

"Alright. There's room." The Goomba nodded. "I can put you on."

_The first challenge made almost all of the teams strike out, most of them having little to no prior golfing knowledge. The Smorg skyrocketed in front, while the others fell behind._

"…Well…I've never seen such prodigies before…that's…quite amazing," said the Lakitu. "I guess you get this, then."

Hamma over swung, sending the ball hurtling past where it needed to be. Flare swung, and threw his golf club, but it was retrieved by the Lakitu. King somehow made it onto the green, but his approach accidentally sent the ball off the platform. Andy missed the stage by a few feet. Beldam's ball flew to the right of the platform. Queen nearly whacked someone in the face because of her unusual hands. Toadsworth made it to the rough, but missed the cup. Zess made it to the green, but failed to make both putts. Waitress missed. Shimi missed. To missed. Too's ball bounced off of the spiky wood that pinned the platform down and fell. Hamma completely missed. Flare threw his club again (out of anger, this time). King missed. Andy missed. Beldam missed. Queen purposely threw her club at Flare for a rude comment.

_Having no luck in sight, Andy and King opted to go for the Fast Forward. It wasn't easy for them, but they got it down just in time to somehow get ahead of the Smorg and come in first._

"This is a bit harder than I would've liked it to be…swinging from vines…I feel like an untrained ape." Andy remarked dryly.

_But for some teams, things were a different story. Beldam and Queen, and Hamma and Flare both quit the golfing task, giving them a four-hour penalty once they checked into the pit stop. Coupled with their thirty minute penalty, things seemed bleak for Hamma and Flare, but luckily for them, Beldam and Queen arrived moments too late._

-----

_A familiar concept returned as teams ventured into outer space and Future Dream for the ninth leg. Teams signed up for charter rockets that only had certain capacities—although it was thought that Smorgo and Smorga would finally fall, some teams expressed their disappointment upon finding otherwise._

"…I wonder how the Smorg actually made this rocket?" Too questioned. "That's…amazing…"

"…There's no room left…I thought for sure that the Smorg might have messed up…" Zess fretted.

_At the Roadblock, teams learned how to pilot a standard CIRC-X5 UFO. Nearly all team members found trouble with this task._

"Phew…that was close…but I just don't understand why I can't get the gist of this…what is so difficult about it?" Zess questioned.

"GARGH! This is so darn confusing!" Hamma shouted, slamming his fists down.

_During the Detour, Smorgo and Smorga once again showed exactly how danger-prone they were when they got caught in an explosion._

"YOU TWO IDIOTS GET OUT OF THERE! THE BOMBS ARE ABOUT TO FORM THE LIGHT BARRIER MATRIX!" the Dry Bones frantically yelled. "IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN THE BLAST, WHO KNOWS WHAT'LL HAPPEN TO YOU?!"

…KABOOOOOM!

Amazingly, the Smorg seemed unharmed—they'd even retrieved the Dry Bones' legs. However…the two were sparkling like glitter in all colors of the spectrum, a possible side effect from the explosion.

_Another word puzzle involving pictures hampered the teams on their way to the pit stop._

"Nope…if I didn't know better, I'd think they'd be spellin' out some alphas." King responded.

"…Spelling out letters? Really?" To tilted her head to the side. "I'm not really sure…I can't see it."

"Eh…I don't, either." Andy said apologetically.

"I don't get this at all…my brain has been on overdrive for the past few weeks…this is torture." Flare muttered, his eyes drooping.

_Once again, Hamma and Flare's penalty made things grim, but they only cut it close as Zess and Toadsworth became the last team to check in._

-----

_The return back to familiar ground ushered teams to the Pristine Plains for leg ten. More familiarities came on the battle lines between the brothers and the homeboys upon the arrival into Moo Moo Farm._

"It's time we got rid of our main competition…we choose to Yield…"

The two posted the pictures almost simultaneously—the first figure literally slammed the stapler into the large photograph, while the second quickly peeled the small rectangle from its paper and stuck it onto the small box in the corner that was labeled "Courtesy Of."

"…Andy and King." Flare declared.

_Chef Shimi floundered when he was unable to milk a cow._

"Um…how do you work this sting? I'm very confused…is this dare the milk comes about?" Shimi asked aloud.

"I don't know how to do it…I think you squeeze the udders." Waitress suggested, looking around.

"How come I can't get this right? It's not working!" Shimi yelped, helplessly floundering his fins about the cow's udders.

The other team members sitting around sighed.

"Sir, I think it's broken!" Shimi called out, hyperventilating.

_Due to their troubles, Shimi and Waitress opted to go for the Fast Forward instead, but found it just as difficult as the Roadblock. Meanwhile, sisters To and Too wasted time when they parked on the wrong side of a park._

"Thank goodness, we're finally here…" To breathed. "Okay…where's the clue box…"

"Must be around here somewhere." Too stated. "Maybe it's down one of these paths…"

_While Hamma and Flare celebrated over coming in first after suffering their thirty minutes, the remaining four teams battled in a car race to the pit stop._

"I'm pleased to announce…that I'm finally the one to eliminate you from the Amazing Race." Blaise smirked.

_Unluckily, Smorgo and Smorga were last._

-----

_Riding in a charter bus dropped the remaining four teams off at Choco Island to start of leg eleven. Everyone quickly discovered just how unique this leg was with the ushering in of the announcement: this was a Junctionleg._

"'This is a Junctionleg. The teams will be split to accommodate certain paths that lead to the pit stop. You may only take from one clue box at a time; if you choose to switch, please replace all information and return to the proper clue box.'" To read.

_Both pairs of teams discovered trouble on their respective paths._

"Oh, this is killer on my legs…it's getting so hard to pedal…" Waitress mumbled.

"We've got to pace ourselves, or else we'll never make it without having to take rests." To stated.

"You're taking too long, bro…you've only got one with writing on it?" Flare sounded. "That's pathetic!"

"I'm afraid it's all going to be on your shoulders…" Andy said apologetically. "My aim isn't helping me on this task at all…"

"I'm not really all that sugar—er, sure…" Shimi mumbled. "Maybe we're swimming around in circles?"

_Near the end of the leg, Hamma and Flare made a dangerous maneuver by passing Andy and King on a two-lane street._

"You're almost up with them, bro…just stay on their tail." Flare advised.

Shaking his head, Hamma chuckled. "Oh, no, I'll do better than that…you just watch."

Suddenly, the Hammer Brother made a daring maneuver—he passed the surprised homeboys by going on the left side of the street and zipped back into place right in front of them.

"What the heck?!" Andy stomped on the breaks and honked the horn as the brothers swerved in front.

_However, when the homeboys tied with the brothers for a first place arrival, the former earned the last laugh when the latter took their penalty and dropped to second. On the other hand, allies were forced to square off._

"How about if we make this one really count…one actual race between us." Too suggested.

"You're on!" Shimi said, raising his fin.

"Well, alright…" Waitress gulped. "To Zessworth and Team Twilight."

"Sounds good to us," responded the green-haired Traveling Sister.

_The victors ended up being Shimi and Waitress, leaving To and Too in last._

"To and Too…as you know, you're the last team to arrive." Miles confirmed.

"We figured that out long ago, Miles." To joked.

"Just give us the news…and make it good, please." Too suggested.

Smirking, Miles nodded. "I'm pleased to tell you that this is the final of the three non-elimination legs, so you two are still in the race."

_But due to it being non-elimination, the sisters were allowed to stay in the race._

-----

_The penultimate leg ushered the remaining four teams to Neon Heights, city of movies. However, before the ride arrived, Hamma and Flare ran into some problems getting on the flight._

"So you're saying the fastest flight to Neon Heights is World Flyer 42, right?" Flare repeated.

"But I'm afraid that there aren't enough seats for all of you."

"Oh, come on! We need to get on this!" Flare growled. "Listen. This is to us, a life-or-death situation. Do your best to get us on this flight. Oh. And don't even think about calling security. We'll be staying out of your way." Flare added.

_Whether by threat or through a threshold of luck, the brothers managed to grab seats on the plane at the last second. However, they found themselves again impeded by problems when their taxi took them to the wrong location._

"Aw, crud! We got dropped off at the wrong place!" Hamma cried, kicking the ground with his boot. "What kind of stupid mistake was that? I was perfectly clear when I said where we needed to go!"

"Why the heck is good help so dang hard to find these days?" Flare queried to the open air. "That was a waste of time and money!"

_At the Detour, all four teams opted to go for what was arguably one of the craziest maneuvers in race history—partaking in an unsafe action short with real dangers._

Seeing no other alternative way out, Andy was forced to crawl over the windshield of the van that had nearly slammed over him and jump to safety as it collided with another incoming truck.

"What's with their aim?! Are they TRYING to kill us?" Andy asked incredulously.

Using Shimi, the fishy-in-more-than-one-way bride, as a battering ram, Waitress knocked a few surprised actors out of the way as she ran for the cover of a church column.

"Maybe if I destroy some of these deserts on the table, I can get rid of some of their ammo!" Waitress plotted, spotting the nearby line of tables covered with numerous other foods that did not include wedding cake (which was already scattered all over the floor).

Seeing the mini-grenade land on the fake dirt in front of them, the two Toad girls skidded to a stop and ran in the other direction, just as the bomb exploded and sent bits of mud and small shards flying through the air.

"How'd we get ourselves stuck in this mess?!" Too queried. "This isn't war, this is just plain violent! We're just running from stuff!"

Flare tripped up another one of the goons, causing him to fall backwards over a barbell and land on the matted ground. He then turned around and backhanded another guy before grabbing his wrist and throwing him at an approaching foe. Taking care of his own business, Hamma grabbed a suspended punching bag with the finger part of his fists and pushed it into a crowd, knocking the members over like bowling pins. Feeling the punch of another enemy behind him, the Hammer Brother parried the blow of a boxing Sledge Brother and gave him a punch that floored him down for the count.

"We'll be out of targets to use before our five minutes are even up!" Hamma proclaimed, throwing an attacking Koopa an uppercut with his right glove.

_For the sisters, problems arose when they needed to get to their next destination. But due to their money problems, taxi drivers gave them an absolutely dreadful time._

"…I'd estimate about twenty to thirty Smash…that too much for you cheapskates?" the Goomba asked accusingly.

"Well, you see…we don't really have that much…we only have about ten Smash coins left on our card…" To explained.

"Ten? Well, forget it then; I'm not carrying freeloaders to even an ATM! Go find someone else!"

_A difficult Roadblock repeatedly tripped up Waitress, who got increasingly more and more frustrated._

"That's so unfair! I'm a newbie, you…you…URGH!" Waitress made a frustrated noise before putting herself back into a waiting position. "Come on! Haven't you ever heard of 'going easy?!'"

Shrugging diffidently (with a hint of I-don't-care mixed in), the Shy Guy threw a third pitch. It roared straight down the plate, not even curving at all. Waitress…missed.

"AAARGH!" Waitress let out a high-pitched scream of frustration. "Why can't I hit the stupid ball! I hate this so much!"

_However, in what was most likely the closest finish in race history, the three back teams obtained finishing times that were only seconds apart. But…it was the thirty-minute penalty that made all the difference, bringing the check-in time of the brothers back down past that of the other teams._

Homeboys Construct Final Lead; Ham-Bros. Pwned by Penalty

_In short, nine teams fell…_

"Screamy and Torque."

"Pa-Patch and Cortez."

"Toodles and Toadia."

"Pungry and Pungent."

"Husband and Wife."

"Beldam and Queen."

"Zess and Toadsworth."

"Smorgo and Smorga."

"Hamma and Flare. I'm sorry to tell you that you've been eliminated from the race."

_…leaving the final three. Which one of these remaining teams will make it to the finish line first? So far, these three teams have trekked over thirty-eight thousand miles within the span of twelve legs and several weeks…but only one team can win…who will it be?_

-----

_This is Neon Heights, the city of fame and fortune for the movie stars of today and yesterday—the place where films originate and bloom into their states of wealth and popularity. This large metropolis of movie studios, production sets, and theaters, is home to an approximated fraction of over three-fourths of all actors and actresses in the entire Mushroom world. And in the residential area of this urban conurbation is the Starrit Apartment Complex, a set of inhabited dwellings set in the center of an unforgiving rush of dreams, hopes, and toils. In the ninth building of the multipart housing, on the highest floor, is the once-secret part-time home of famous actor and model Zip Toad, a legendary star whose looks and moderately eccentric city style are known to precede his presence. This small room was the final pit stop in a race around the world._

_Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The three teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the finish line._

_With their long-time rivaling Glitz Pit foes finally eliminated from the game, will Andy and King be the ones to rise to the top with their main competition out of the way? As the sole survivors of the original alliance of coed racers, will it be Shimi and Waitress who will rise to meet the challenge and put all their past problems aside to reach the final destination in the lead? Or can To and Too, the adventurous female team that has faced their own difficulties, including money issues and traveling problems, overcome their standing position and become the ones to claim first?_

_Andy and King, who arrived at 7:42 A.M…_

"WOOHOO! First again!" hollered Andy.

_…will be the first to depart at 7:42 P.M._

-----

The nightlife of downtown Neon Heights was just getting underway as citizens and tourists alike started flocking to the famous bars, discos, and open theaters to take part in the nighttime entertainment of their choosing. Lights were flickering on and off in rhythmic dances of attractive flashes, calling crowds to come and join the parties that would surely be going on for quite a while.

In the quieter, residential section of the city, things were slightly different. Although the occasional house or room showed the recognizable signs of a social gathering of some kind getting under way, the majority of the area was generally peaceful and relaxed as some early sleepers settled in for the night. This story held true under most circumstances for the occupants of the Starrit Apartment Complex, but in the ninth building, top floor, room 710, it was only a tangible, wanted dream.

Waiting patiently for their departure time to arrive for the final leg, the first-place Andy and King stretched themselves on the mat, limbering up their appendages—Zip T. was long gone, so there was nobody around that would potentially criticize their actions, or their clothes. Andy was still wearing a green robe, but from the absence of dirt and dust, it was either a fresh one, or one that'd been washed. On the other hand, King had reassembled his ensemble of chokers and bands, as well as bringing back the yellow hoodie. And of course, he was still wearing his sunglasses, even though it was dark outside and he was indoors, although justification could've been provided through the lights that were on in the room.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 1****st**** to Depart, 7:42 P.M. (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Top Floor, Room 710)**

When the time came by for the two to open their clue, they did so; King suspended the envelope in the air with his hands while Andy tore off the strip and took out the blue folder inside. He opened it, took out the white paper, and began to read.

"'Make your way by any transportation of your choosing to the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars. Within the front hall are three labeled pictures of your next destination.'" Andy stated. "'Research the names to figure out where the disclosed location is located, and board a flight for that region. This industrial plant is the location of your next clue; travel to it by taxi.'"

_Teams must now travel approximately 5 miles across town to this location: the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars, a gallery that features the history and humble beginnings behind some of the greatest actors and actresses ever to cross the big screens. In the front entrance, teams will find a set of three pictures drawn out across the walls depicting three locations—Ice Land, Vanilla Lake, and Sherbet Land. Using the name of their next destination given, teams will have to conduct research wherever possible in order to figure out the location of the Frezblock Factory in order to buy plane tickets and fly the 6,306 miles to reach its region. This unique processing plant, which gathers chilly surrounding air to create solid blocks of ice, is the holding area of the next clue, 2 miles by taxi from Coldness Airfield. _

"'You have one Smash coin for this leg of the race.'" Andy concluded. "Just one, huh…well, that's just great…we hardly have enough as it is!"

"Kinda symbolic in a ways, dawg…one is what place we wanna be in later on at the final mat." King reminded.

"…Sure, I guess…but this isn't very much at all…" Andy deposited the coin into the credit card and looked at its count. "We only have four coins now…that's just great…"

"Guess we're walkin'?"

"Yeah…and we might have to even ask for some money from some innocent bystanders on the way, too…"

"This experience has been positively amazing, but it still ain't over yet. We still have one final leg to charge through, and believe me, we're going to be giving it our all, every step of the way." Andy remarked. "I dunno how badly the others wanna win it, but King and I won't just sit around idly and let this opportunity be trashed for no reason."

"That's right! We're gettin' to do what we said our goal was in the front line!" King exclaimed, referencing the pre-race interview at the very beginning of the competition. "Now we're here, and we gotta focus on the main prize. You never know until ya try for it, and we'll be tryin' our hardest!"

It didn't take very long for the homeboys to reach ground floor after using the elevator. They walked through the outer hallway and out of the apartment building into the street.

"Well, we better start lookin' for a map of some sort, yo…not gonna be able to find the place if we don't even know where it is." King suggested.

"Right…well, let's go, then."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 2****nd**** to Depart, 8:23 P.M. (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Top Floor, Room 710)**

The second team to depart, the duo aptly named "Shim-Stress" by friends and foes alike, waited on the mat, their allies sitting off to the side on Zip's clean bed.

For the final leg, Waitress was definitely dressed to impress in one of the strangest ways. Her hair was back in the same messy way it had been when performing the Detour from the previous leg; spiked outward from under her cap, but with a bit of feminine flair just for good measure with the glitter. She had on a robin's egg blue-colored long sleeve sweater, lavender mini-skirt, white tennis shoes, and the shell earrings from her boyfriend, along with a bracelet of tiny plastic purple stars on her wrist. Shimi was wearing an orange T-shirt with the inscription, "Kiss the cook with lips opened wide!" imprinted on the backside, and a picture of two fish lips on the front, or in other words, his underside. He had the same blue "Fish Swim, You Sink!" baseball cap on his head.

"We're in the final leg, and it's going to be a really difficult time for us. Not only are we facing off against our allies, the sisters, but we also have a focused pair of Glitz Pit guys to deal with." Waitress expounded on the situation. "Either way, we have a one-in-three shot at being the ones to win the race…it'd be so cool if we made it…we'd actually have a salary boost without actually even getting paid by our employer…"

"It's an honor to be in the spinal tree, facing towards the finish mime! …Wait…uh, what I meant to say was, it's a goner to be in the final spree, gracing the…um…what?" Shimi paused for a moment to try and gather his thoughts and put them into words. "Erm…just skip me, okay?! I'm fad—er, bad, at interviews!"

"All right…there we blows!" Shimi announced as his partner ripped open the envelope.

"'Make your way by any transportation of your choosing to the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars…'"

While Waitress was reading, the other two Toad girls were signaled over to the mat. They retrieved their envelope from the location marker.

**To & Too: Sisters- Last to Depart, 8:24 P.M. (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Top Floor, Room 710)**

Both of the sisters wanted to keep their "tandem" style as a finisher to be remembered by, so they both had their hair in the two-ball fashion that the Traveling Sisters were known for. They were wearing their blue jean jackets over white T-shirts with the respective pink and green collars, and had the respectively colored shorts, shoes, and socks. It seemed that they'd also shared glitter with Waitress; their faces shone with the evidence of a small bit of sparkling glitter.

Although To opened the envelope and pulled out the Route Info, she didn't start reading, since Waitress was relaying all the information aloud for them. Instead, she took out the single Smash coin inside of the envelope, looked at it curiously, and handed it over to Too for storage.

"Somehow, we made it this far into the game. I'm not exactly all too sure about how it happened, but it did, and we're up here. At the start, we were just two frolicking girls who wanted to travel around the world, seeing new things and experiencing new adventures. We didn't exactly care for the million—it was just a small bonus in comparison to visiting the world when it was all over." Too explained.

"But, now that we're here, we might as well try to go for it. We may or may not win it, whichever happens…neither my sis nor me really care. We got what we came for, but since we were lucky enough to be given the full opportunity, we won't waste it." To guaranteed. "We'll be playing our hardest when it comes down to it!"

When Waitress finished reading, she relaxed the arm holding the Route Info, bringing it down to her side.

"All right…you guys ready to go?" she inquired.

"Yup…we're all set…I think…" Too nodded.

"We're going to have to ask for more money before we arrive at our destination if we're going to be traveling by taxi again…" To murmured.

"…Maybe we should fork together to grind information about our new place when we find it at the mausoleum—er, I mean, museum." Shimi suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea…it'll save us a whole lot of stress…"

Walking back down the hallway, the group of four accessed the elevator to use it to get down to ground floor. They then headed outside and started walking down the street. Although at first it appeared that they didn't know where they were going, they were actually headed for an outdoor tourist stand that still happened to be open, presumably scouted out before leg's start. To grabbed a map from one of the containment holders and held it out under the nearby streetlight.

"It looks like the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars is pretty far away from here…" she mentioned, pointing it out in comparison to their current location. "I guess we'll have enough time to gather money along the way from some late-night joggers or something…"

"Yeah, that's for sure…"

After jotting down some quick, easy-to-follow directions taken from the brochure (so as to not have to pay for the map), the group replaced it and continued on its way.

-----

Even in the darkness of night, the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars was still quite a grand sight to behold. A curving sidewalk led upward through a grassy front lawn from the iron gates of stone walls, the path's edges lined by slanting bricks and mortar. Marble statues of famous figures pranced in a stationary movement in their places atop stands scattered across the neat-trim flats of green. Even more impressive was the building itself—a remarkable glass dome with hundreds and hundreds of rectangular panels making up the outside, just slightly giving tidbits and hints on the profile views of the content inside. A golden, faded star sat by one of its five points on the needle-like nose of a cone that extended from the very top of the piece of construction.

Casually strolling about the sidewalks while avoiding the occasional party of strolling people, two figures carrying backpacks eventually halted to a stop in front of the gates. Under the light of a nearby street lamp, they squinted at the black stone plaque embedded into one side of the stone barrier.

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Famed Heights Museum of Superstars, Front Gates)**

"Just what I'd thought, dawg…closed." King said in a tone that was almost apologetic.

"Hours of operation… '10 A.M. to 6 P.M.'" Andy read off of the sign. "I guess that none of us would've been able to get a lead here…oh well. At least we were able to collect some money for tomorrow's admission fee…and probably a taxi ride to the airport…"

Holding the credit card out casually in his hand, King's fingers were directed towards the coin count in the center of the two-dimensional piece of plastic. The numbers had slid up to "97," quite a high amount, considering the time it had taken them to travel to the actual location while asking for money on the way.

"Nothin' more we can do, right?" King queried.

"Not that I know of…" Andy responded. "We'll just have to camp out here or something for tomorrow…"

"Naw, not in the middle of the streets…that ain't a good thing to do in this type o' city. We're gonna hafta to rough it in some backstreet alley."

"…Well, if you say so…but I'm thinking we should also try and boost up our funds a little bit more."

"Alright, but then, we get some shuteye…tomorrow's our big day."

"I'm hopeful that in the end, it will be."

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Famed Heights Museum of Superstars, Front Gates)**

"Yeah, it's closed…but I'm not too surprised." To admitted. "Usually places like this are never open for long at all…"

"Uh-huh…just look at those open hours." Too agreed.

Unlike the homeboys, it had taken the alliance much longer to reach the museum; since there were two teams, it had taken twice as long to rack up as much money as the guys had, and the foursome had even gone as far as to both reach up over a hundred, in hopes of racing through the night. But, it just wasn't the case.

"…So…what do we do now?" Shimi asked.

"We wait…" Waitress yawned. "I'm sleepy…we should get some rest before we start again tomorrow."

"Definitely a good idea…" To said sleepily, nodding her head.

"Sure thing…" Too chirped, covering her mouth as she let out a yawn of her own.

**9:56 A.M.**

It was a brand new day in Neon Heights, and things were still chugging along as strongly as they had the previous night, only in different buildings and businesses, most focused on the obvious creating of more movies and plays. The more popular tourist attractions were starting to open, and of course, none other than the early-bird vacationing sightseers were flocking to get good spots in the ticket lines.

**Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Famed Heights Museum of Superstars, Front Gates)**

Of course, the three racing teams had claimed the first spots in the ever-growing line, directly in front of the gates. Their business being at the museum was more than just to look around (mostly; To and Too were still being camera-happy with the new environment and provided sunlight), so they were fully prepared to dash right in without hesitation and take care of what needed to be done.

Promptly at two minutes after, a Goomba wearing a stylish red jacket with a small nameplate rushed over to the iron barricades from within the property, and took out a set of keys. She inserted one of the metal pieces into the slot and turned it, unlocking the visible lock to the gates. However, much to the teams' dismay, she wasn't done; she then walked over to a spot behind the stone piece that held the plaque. A few beeping noises were heard before the entrance magically seemed to creak open by itself.

When that happened, the six dashed through at the first opportunity they had. Obviously, the spectators behind them shot off befuddled looks that were only ignored by the back of the racers' heads. They sprinted down the walkway and up the steps to the raised base that had the ticket counters before the entrance into the actual sphere itself.

"Two tickets, please."

"One for me and my sister."

"Just us two."

"That'll be fourteen Smash for total admission…here are your tickets. Thank you, and please enjoy yourselves."

Obtaining the admittance slips done, the group moved away from the ticket counters and hurried through the open doors, just as the rest of the crowd started to move in. Before they could proceed, security ripped the ends off of the tickets. It was only then that they were able to start wandering around.

Almost immediately, To and Too spotted the first of the three pictures on the left side of the entry hall, and broke off with Shimi and Waitress to go check it out. About ten seconds later, Andy and King noticed another one directly on the opposite wall from the doors, and jogged over to it, disregarding the circle of information desks in-between.

"'Ice Land.'"

"'Vanilla Lake.'"

"'Frezblock Factory. Is it here?'"

Although the pictures were different, they had basically the same idea. Above the framework was a sign giving the name of the location, and below it was printed the all-important question. The three teams jotted the name down onto whatever they had available before again going their separate ways—while Andy and King darted back out the door and fought against the crowds to get to the front gates, the co-workers and sisters instead waited until they were gone before trying one of the clerks behind the information desk.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The Toad asked in a well-mannered, practiced tone.

"Hi, uh…this may not have much of an importance to you, but…we need for you to look up what region has a place called the 'Frezblock Factory.'" Waitress informed.

"For the final leg, our approach was to narrow the playing field to make it a bit easier. It was only too obvious that the guys would break away from us to do things their own way, so that left our alliance to work together with more brainpower." Waitress explained. "We were sorta counting on those guys to falter…then it'd just leave us and the sisters. We could deal with that; no matter who won, it would be considered win-win for us, knowing we had a hand in it either way."

"Could you please help us with this; it'd be really, really nice." To requested.

"Uh…um, okay." The Toad nodded and started doing some unseen actions on his computer. It took a few minutes before he spoke up again, but when he did, his voice was confident and firm. "The Frezblock Factory is a place located in the Vanilla Lake region, in Allinav."

"Well, I'm glad we didn't assume it was the one we looked at…Ice Land is way different." Waitress remarked.

"Awesome, thanks!" Too smiled, writing the information down onto her notepad. "Could you also tell us what the closest airport is?"

"I'm pretty sure it's Coldness Airfield in Allinav, but I'll double-check just to make sure…" The Toad spent several seconds clicking the mouse and typing input on the keyboard. "Yes, I'm sure now. Allinav's Coldness Airfield is the closest airport to you've got to that place."

"Thank you very munch!" Shimi exclaimed. "Er, I meant 'much!' Sorry!"

With their discovery part of the task completed, the allied teams made their way through the incoming crowds back outside, and stopped at the street.

"Okay…now just to find a taxi to get us back to the airport…" To mumbled.

"I think I see one coming this way; quick, wave it down!" Too ordered.

The group got the attention of the patrolling van, getting it to stop at the curb.

"Awesome, we can all fit in!" Waitress exclaimed. "Come on, guys!"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Grinternet Café)**

Shortly after getting the information from inside of the museum, the homeboys had run across the street into one of the narrower alleyways of buildings, and ducked into an Internet Café they'd spotted beforehand. The two grabbed adjacent computers and set to work looking up information.

"'Kay…looks like our place is in Vanilla Lake. Got that down?" King asked.

"Yeah." Andy nodded. "That was some pretty quick work; it was the picture we'd looked at. Hopefully the other teams didn't figure it out as quickly, and we can get back to the airport before them."

Running back outside, the guys managed to catch a passing cab.

-----

Due to the later hours, Starshoot International Airport was running in much more swing than it had been going when the teams were there the previous morning. Airplanes were coming in at regular intervals, releasing flocks of tourists. The place itself was basically a strangely-shaped star; the center building was a large dome, and the terminals were spaced about along projections from the main area.

A single van pulled up to the terminal meant for departures to snow-filled areas, and allowed its occupants out. They paid the driver for the ride, and pulled their backpacks out of the trunk before heading in through the automatic doors.

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Starshoot International, Main Dome)**

"This shouldn't be too difficult to find a flight…let's try that counter over there." Waitress suggested.

The foursome headed over to the desk labeled, "Snowplow Air," and got the welcome attention of the clerk sitting in his chair behind the desk.

"Hello…and what might I be doing for you today?" The Koopa interrogated.

"Hi…we need to know what the fastest flight to get to Allinav is." Too informed. "Preferably, if it has four seats on it, that'd be good."

"…You're in luck. We happen to have the fastest flight to the Vanilla Lake region today." The Koopa said, clicking on his screen for more details. "It leaves here at noon from terminal R3, and it arrives there at 9:30 in the morning, local time. There aren't too many spots left, but I can probably manage to fit all of you on."

"Cool! Please book four on that." To requested.

(To & Too- 1st on Snowplow Air 3800)

(Shimi & Waitress- 2nd on Snowplow Air 3800)

"Thank you very munch—er, much, sir!" Shimi piped up.

"Yeah…this should be good; we have enough time to get to the terminal if we hurry!" Waitress notified.

"Alright, let's do it!"

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Starshoot International, Main Dome)**

"And you're sure there's no faster flight to Vanilla Lake?" Andy affirmed.

"Positive…this screen says that our airlines has the fastest flight there today, so you can be assured that you'll get there in time for whatever it is you're needing to do." The clerk replied.

"…Well…sounds good, I guess." Andy turned to his partner. "What do you think?"

"We should go ahead and book it." King confirmed.

"Alright…two tickets, please."

(Andy & King- 1st on Mushroom International 514)

"Thanks." Andy told the Goomba. "Okay…so, hopefully we should get there before the other two…we're counting on this to be the fastest one."

"That's for sure…"

-----

While boarding their plane from the terminal, the allied teams looked around for signs of the homeboys. Having found none, and further reassured by walking up and down the single aisle of their plane just before it took off, they settled in, relieved to know that they at least had peace for the moment, but still unnerved with the possibility that they might've picked the slower flight.

**(Snowplow Air 3800- Departing at 12:01 P.M.)**

_This is the first of two flights departing for Vanilla Lake. It carries two of the three teams—co-workers Shimi and Waitress, and sisters To and Too._

-----

After performing a search similar to their already-departed adversaries, Andy and King sat back down in their plane seats, knowing that they were on the plane alone. This didn't give any calming effect to them, however; they weren't sure if that meant they were ahead or behind.

**(Mushroom International 514- Departing at 2:16 P.M.)**

_This is the second flight headed towards Vanilla Lake, carrying the only other team: best friends Andy and King._

-----

Vanilla Lake was a relatively large, vast area spanning several miles, and completely covered in snow banks and ice. The very center of the region had a gigantic, frozen over lake, around which several cities were scattered about, and primitive paths served as connections between them.

Allinav, the capital city of the district, was one of the places located closer to the center of the frozen waters. However, in preparation for the unlikely event of the ice ever breaking, it appeared that the entire town was situated on top of a gigantic translucent plate that could be moved to safety at a moments notice. The buildings were all made of white bricks and stones that appeared to look like formed ice, and were set in strict columns and rows to form a near-perfect grid.

On the outskirts of Allinav was Coldness Airfield, an airport shaped like a gigantic igloo with rectangular protuberances that served as the holder of terminals in a format similar to that of Starshoot International. Due to the abundance of occasional snow flurries blowing through the area, it was subject to an infinite, indefinite delay, but planes still managed to depart and arrive at respectable times. Of particular note was a Snowplow Air craft that pulled into the runway with a bumpy stop on the few mounds of snow that had been missed on the hourly sweep-through. It managed to even cut in line to reach the terminals, and from there, proceeded to allow its passengers to disembark.

**(Snowplow Air 3800- Arriving at 9:57 A.M.)**

**Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Coldness Airfield, Terminal A2)**

Rushing from the access hall that had been attached to the plane, the Traveling Sisters ran out with their backpacks loosely attached to their bodies, Shim-Stress following close behind. However, something seemed completely different this time. It was as if they weren't working in collaboration anymore. Not to mention that they were all dressed warmly in preparation for going outside into the cold weather.

"On the plane, we agreed that from that point on, it'd be every team for themselves." To declared. "It was a mutual decision, and we were all okay with it. After all…we were fighting for first, and it was time to try and stand alone as the pairs we were meant to work as. It had been fun working as an alliance, but good things can't always last forever…so, that was the time to do it."

"Taxis, that way." To pointed out to her sister the sign hanging overhead.

"Got it."

The sisters veered off in that direction, with the lagging employees doing their best to keep up, due to Shimi's hard method of travel. Waitress waited for him, and the two reached the line for taxis shortly after the two girls.

"We need to go to the Frezblock Factory, please." Too told the driver. "As fast as possible, we're in sort of a rush…"

"A race, to be exact." To added while pushing her backpack into the trunk.

"Frezblock Factory; take any way you can to get there before that other taxi, okay?" Waitress directed.

"Our plate rests in your hands!" Shimi stated.

"See you guys there!" To taunted, stepping into the vehicle.

"Sure; but we're getting there first!" Waitress assured.

Taking off from the curb, the sisters' taxi started down the lane and was out of sight before the Excess Express workers' cab could get going.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Allinav, Flake Avenue)**

"It seems we have a really good taxi driver…" To observed. "We're going pretty fast. Neat!"

"Hopefully it's in the right direction, though." Too stated.

"Don't worry; I know exactly where to go." The Bumpty reassured, turning on the wipers to brush a bit of snow off of the windshield. "You'll be there in no time."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Allinav, Snowball Lane)**

"I sure hope that we're ahead of King and Andy…or else that means we're in last place right now." Waitress murmured. "That's highly undesirable…"

"Yeah…we haven't seen them since the mausoleum—er, museum." Shimi stated.

"Not a good sign." Waitress stated.

-----

The Frezblock Factory, a strange plant that had several vents and pipes on the outside, was surrounded by a mess of wrapped ice blocks, presumably prepared and ready to be shipped off to where they were needed. Most of the workers were inside in the relative 'warmth' of the building, overseeing the actions and duties being performed by the various mechanics and machines, but an occasional pair of employees were being deployed outside to drop off stacked blocks in large cranes.

Two taxis arrived at the entrance to the industrial unit in quick succession. Their occupants jumped out and grabbed their luggage as well as paying the drivers before trying to head over and search for the clue box.

"There it is!"

Running over to the clue box, stationed in front of a pile of frozen prisms, the first team reached in and pulled out a clue.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1****st**** (Frezblock Factory, Front Entrance)**

Opening the envelope, Too took out the Route Info and excitedly began to read, her breath coming out in visible wisps of gas into the air.

"'Make your way by snowmobile to Frigid City, and search out the Frozen Fishery, where your next clue waits.'"

_Teams must now hop onto one of these marked two-seater snowmobiles and use them to propel approximately 4 miles across Vanilla Lake to Frigid City, a frozen town similar in appearance to their landing point in the region. They must locate the Frozen Fishery, a spot on the ice, which, unlike the name, is actually a renowned fishing place instead of a hatchery. It is here that they will find their next clue._

"Snowmobiles?!" To repeated. "Oh, that is so awesome!"

"I know!" Too exclaimed. "I think that those are them, right over there!"

The sisters scurried over to a line of three snowmobiles that were facing the exit, taking care not to slip and fall on the icy ground. In a silent agreement, the pink-haired Toad girl jumped into the front seat, while Too took the back as well as a map she'd obtained from the airport.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Frezblock Factory, Front Entrance)**

"Frigid City…do we have that on our map?" Waitress asked.

"Yeah…I think so." Shimi briefly looked at the folded paper before looking back up again and nodding. "Yup! Ground it!"

"…Uh, okay, then! Let's go!"

Just as their rivals took off, the co-workers made their way over to the snowmobile obviously modified for them. Waitress hopped onto the front, while the chef Cheep-Cheep took the seat behind her.

"I sure hope I remember how to drive this thing from that pre-race tutorial…" Waitress mumbled before starting the motors. The vehicle jerked forward on her first try with the gas, but she managed to get it under control and going smoothly.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Vanilla Lake, Allinav-Frigid City Trail)**

Coasting along at a comfortable pace on the snowmobile, the sisters had quite a lead over their opposition. To was keeping the steering and speed under a steady control, and since their path was on a one-way road, Too was free to just enjoy the ride on the back seat.

"Are they still behind us?" To asked curiously.

Too looked over her shoulder. "I can see a moving dot back there, so yeah. But they're falling behind."

"Okay…I guess that's a good thing for us." To blinked, pushing what few whipping strands of hair that'd manage to work loose from in front of her vision.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Vanilla Lake, Allinav-Frigid City Trail)**

Evidently, the purple-haired Toad was still having a little bit of trouble with the vehicle; occasionally, it would spurt forward on a burst of gas. But, they were going along at a relatively steady pace and were also having fun with the new form of transport—Shimi had even dug out the goggles he'd obtained from the desert leg, and was using them to protect his large eyes from the snow.

"They're pulling ahead pretty far…I wonder how they're doing that…" Waitress mumbled.

"Maybe ours has a malsuction."

"…A 'malfunction?'"

"…Er…yeah. A 'maltraction.' No, wait, I meant a 'malfraction!' Wait, what was I going to say?"

"…"

-----

The Frozen Fishery, a marked-off ice field on the outskirts of Frigid City, was pretty bland at first glance. Other than the surrounding snow banks that enclosed it, and the tools and equipment scattered about, there was very little to look at. However, under closer inspection of the ice, it became apparent that the ice was moderately thin, and it was possible to just barely see fish swimming deep under the surface.

Pulling up to the area on their snowmobile, the two occupants of the vehicle easily spotted the clue box sitting on the edge of the icy area, surrounded by three mounds of equipment. They disembarked from their ride, leaving their backpacks in the compartment, and rushed over to it.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1****st**** (Frozen Fishery)**

Pulling out the contents of the envelope, To grinned. "Roadblock! 'Who is ready to capture and entrap victory?'"

_A Roadblock is a task that only one person one perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight on the entire race._

_In this Roadblock, the final one of the race, team members will be required to carve five small circular bricks of ice to make holes in the surface, and then use said holes as areas for their lines to go through and attempt to catch one of the many elusive fish swimming in the freezing waters. Once participants have captured at least one fish and reeled it in, they will have to arrange their five bricks to create a small holding area of sorts in which to stash their catch. After that has been completed correctly, teams will receive their next clue._

"I'll go ahead and even out the final counts, so this one's all on me." To announced.

"All right…so, what do you have to do?" Too interrogated.

"…I have to make five circular holes in the ice, and try catching a fish through one." To asserted. She looked down at the ice. "…Looks pretty thin…but I think I can see something moving down there. …Oh, and I also have to use the bricks from the holes to make a containment center."

"Well, I know you can do it." Too enlightened. "Come on, sis, show me what you can do."

Giggling, To nodded and grabbed one of the piles of equipment. She carefully placed a pair of snowshoes on her face before heading out into the center of the ice and placing the rest of the items down. Using the instructions that had been provided to her, she grabbed one of the tools, which looked oddly like an enlarged compass with a blade at the end instead of a pencil, and stuck the needle end into the ice. She then started twisting it around in a set circle, pushing the blade in deeper and deeper with every circle. Within the span of a minute, she was able to entirely cut through the ice, and pull the circular block out from its neighboring frozen water. Taking it off from the needle, she set it aside before placing a rod into the hole and turning her attention to creating another hole in the ice.

Shortly after creating the second hole, To's sister was joined by more company.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Frozen Fishery)**

Getting off from their snowmobile, the two employees gave a nod to Too before heading over to the clue box and taking out an envelope.

"'Roadblock. Who is ready to capture and entrap victory?'" Waitress read. "Who should do this one, Shimi? You want to?"

"What's she doing out there?" Shimi asked curiously.

"She's making holes in the ice to catch fish." Too answered.

"…C-Catch f-f-f-fish?" Shimi repeated, horrified. "…I'm feeling paint…"

And with that, the Cheep-Cheep promptly passed out.

"…Shimi, I know you're faking." Waitress put her hands on her hips. "For crying out loud, you've served sushi and calamari aboard the Excess Express before! Besides, you'd know how to catch fish—I can't think like one, but you can!"

Shimi perked up from his inattentive state. "…The old built trip, huh? How could you? I'm appealed…"

"…"

Too looked at Waitress questioningly for a hint at what the chef had just said, but the server was just as clueless.

"…Fine. I'll do it…" Shimi grumbled, not even bothering to open the folder as he slid onto the ice, the heap of equipment spread amongst his two fins. "I'm going to have jelly burns…er, belly burns…"

Setting to work on making the holes, Shimi had a bit of trouble adjusting the tool straight to create a perfect circle, but he managed to get the gist of it in time, and made his first block just as To easily finished her fourth. He quickly started to work faster, starting on his third one when To stuck the final line into the fifth hole.

"Great job, sis! You made all of them!" Too cheered.

"Yeah, and now all I have to do is just wait until I get a bite on one!" To replied back.

Deciding to make the best use of her time, the pink-haired Traveling Sister arranged the five blocks of ice into a five-piece circular arrangement of sorts in the middle of her grouping of holes. That done, and no sign of any fish on any of her reels, she sat down on the ice and waited.

Meanwhile, Shimi speedily crafted the rest of his holes and stuck the fishing lines into each of them. He quickly followed what To had done, and positioned his blocks of ice in a circular format.

"Nice job, Shimi! See, that wasn't so hard!" Waitress exclaimed.

"…You have no ID…" Shimi muttered to himself, as if he was talking to his partner. "I'm…sweating under this jack-o-lantern…er…jacket…"

"It's all out of their control now…they just have to wait until a fish decides to tug on one of their strings…" Too observed.

"Yeah…hopefully they don't take all day." Waitress agreed. "At least we know that the Glitz Pit guys are still behind us because of that extra snowmobile…but I don't wanna be here all day until they arrive…"

Several minutes passed, with the group waiting in boredom for something to happen. Whilst Shimi and To concentrated on their lines, Too and Waitress stood off to the side, making the occasional comments in an on-off conversation.

Suddenly, something happened. One of To's lines sharply snapped down in an arc, prompting her to scramble over and pull it in.

"I got something!" To yelled out happily. "Finally!"

"That's great!" Too responded.

Quickly rotating the wheel on her reel, To hurriedly pulled the line in. However, when she'd thoroughly brought it up, she was disappointed to find the end empty and bare of its bait.

"Oh…it got away…" She sighed. "Darn…"

"Don't worry, you'll get the next one!" Too encouraged.

For another long, unbroken period of time, the group was without anything else of interest. Too and Waitress started up their conversation again, and soon, Shimi and To joined in, making it a four-way shout fest, since the non-participants weren't allowed onto the ice. Eventually, though, they all tired of talking, and instead waited in moderate silence that was shifted about by the blowing wind.

After over half an hour without a bite, another rod bobbed up and down, catching the attention of its owner. The team member quickly went over and started reeling in the line, with the other three looking on. Much to everyone's surprise, a flopping fish came out with the end of the thread.

"Whoa!"

Startled, the participant threw the captured quarry into the containment cage of ice blocks, where it started bouncing up and down in futile attempts to escape.

"I…I did it! Yay!"

A Lakitu with an icy-blue cloud hovered over and delivered an envelope on his fishing rod.

"You've completed the Roadblock. Here's your next clue."

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 1****st**** (Frozen Fishery)**

"Whoo!" Shimi eagerly slipped the envelope from the hook, and tore it open before sliding back across the ice over to his partner.

"Awesome, Shimi! Now we're in first!" Waitress said.

"Yeah, I know! 'Use your starked snowmobiles to deprive to—hey!"

Waitress laughed nervously, having swiped the Route Info away. "Maybe you should let me read…"

"…Fine…"

"'Use your marked snowmobile to drive to the far edge of Frigid City, and locate the Primordial Park of Natural History. Your next clue waits there.'"

_Teams must now use their marked snowmobiles to travel 1 mile across Frigid City, and find this place: the Primordial Park of Natural History, an outdoor series of exhibits detailing the ancient history of olden Vanilla Lake. Here, at the entrance to this unique outdoor exhibition of primitive records, teams will find their next clue._

"Come on, Shimi!" Waitress urged.

Waving bye to their friends, the employees hurried back over to their snowmobile and hopped on. Waitress turned it back on and started in the direction of the main city.

"If we cut directly through Frigid City, hopefully it'll be quicker than going around…" She mused.

"Good thinking! I pedigree!"

**To & Too: Sisters (Frozen Fishery)**

"…See one bob down yet?"

"…Nope…"

-----

The Primordial Park of Natural History was basically a large field of snow that was surrounded by hilly snow banks. Within its borders were several different exhibits of interest, each looking authentically old and aged; however, some of the actual displays didn't even appear to be actual exhibits at first glance.

A snowmobile came to a stop near the entrance, a break in the hilly landscape, and the two riders leapt off. They landed right next to the clue box, allowing them to simply open it and pull an envelope out without having to move from the spot.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 1****st**** (Primordial Park of Natural History, Entrance Gate)**

"Okay, let's see what we've got here." Waitress pulled out a yellow folder. "'Detour. "Shoot It Down" or "Raise It Up." Partake in an ancient practice of your choosing.'"

_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, the final one of the race, teams will have a choice between two relatively primeval tasks rooted firmly in the history of the area: "Shoot It Down" and "Raise It Up."_

_In "Shoot It Down," teams will have to head over to the Shooting Range part of the park. Here, they will be given a bow and a quiver containing several arrows, the only tools of nomadic hunters that lived in the area hundreds of years ago. They will then be led onto this ledge, where they will have to break through four ropes that are hanging twenty-five feet away with their arrows, and drop the ice blocks that they are supporting into the water. After doing so, they will be allowed onto the range and to cross the ice blocks to a small chunk of ice containing their next clue._

_In "Raise It Up," teams will have to head to Cresttop Hill, a seemingly normal mound of snow in the park that actually houses an attraction. At the bottom of this large hill, teams will be informed about a local tradition that was performed at the break of dawn every other day during the area's years as a primitive town of settlers. Both team members will create small snowballs, and then start rolling them up the slope to reach the top. Because the snowballs will get bigger from gathering snow, the task will get harder as it progresses—if one of the team members accidentally loses his or her snowball, he or she will have to start over again at the bottom. Once both participants have successfully transferred the snowballs to the top of the hill, they will receive their next clue._

"This sounds pretty simple to me…I bet that if we just do 'Raise It Up,' we'll be out of here in no time." Waitress assumed. "What do you think?"

"Well…okay. I can seal with pushing snowfalls." Shimi replied.

"…Um…alright, then." Waitress nodded. "To Cresttop Hill it is!"

Their decision made, the Excess Express workers headed through the gap in the hills of snow. Coming up onto a display board that had a map of the large area, they briefly stopped in front of it to check where they needed to go. After a few seconds of looking at its symbols, they located their destination and started off to reach it.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Frozen Fishery)**

"…Hey, I think I got another bite!" To exclaimed.

"Really?! Pull it in!"

Carefully reeling in one of the lines, the pink-haired Toad girl watched the hole in hopeful expectance. Sure enough, when the end of the line was brought out from the water, a fish was dangling from the hook by its lips, and was flailing its tail about.

"Oh, you poor thing…here, let me get this for you…" To worked the fish's mouth free of the hook and gently placed it down into the container. For some reason or another, the captured prey didn't move once it was put into the circle; it just lay there, moving its lips as it looked at the female through its eye.

Smiling at the fish, To turned her attention towards the Lakitu as he floated over with the clue.

"You've done the Roadblock…so here's the clue for ya."

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Frozen Fishery)**

"Thank you!" To said gratefully, unhooking the envelope and taking it over to her sister.

"Nice one, sis! Now we can finally move on, and that's good! My fingers are numb!" Too exclaimed, shaking her hands through her mittens.

Giggling, To opened up the blue Route Info folder. "'Use your marked snowmobile to drive to the far edge of Frigid City, and locate the Primordial Park of Natural History. Your next clue waits there.'"

"Cool, let's go!"

Hurrying back to their parked snowmobile, the sisters switched riding positions before driving off in hopes of catching the frontrunners.

-----

**(Mushroom International 514- Arriving at 12:35 P.M.)**

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Coldness Airfield, Terminal B5)**

Dashing through the airport with their backpacks in tow, the homeboys desperately tried slipping on their winter wear before reaching the taxi area. They managed to both pull on heavy jackets before making it to the doors, where they were instantly able to snag a ride because of the lack of a line.

"Say, you can get us to the Frezblock Factory, right?" King asked the driver.

"Certainly can." The Mr. Blizzard replied heartily. "Hop in, boys. I'll take you where you need to go."

"Cool…but we have to get there as fast as possible, okay?" Andy requested. "We're in a REALLY big rush."

Slamming the doors shut on their respective sides after depositing their baggage, the best friends awaited an answer.

"…Hold onto your parkas!"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)**

Since the task itself was pretty simple, the two employees hadn't needed any extra explanation. As a matter of fact, several other tourists were already partaking in the ritual when they'd arrived, so they jumped right in along with the crowd. The first step, creating a relatively large snowball to start pushing up the hill, was easy. However, moving it up over time was the hard part, and both of them discovered that relatively quickly.

"It's getting kind of hard to control this thing…" Waitress murmured, unsteadily shuffling up the hill as she pushed the growing snowball up. It was already at least one-and-a-half times bigger than her. "How're you holding up, Shimi?"

Several yards behind on the slope, Shimi was being forced to nudge his growing companion along using three points of contact—his two fins and his lips, the latter of which in particular was getting very cold.

"F-F-F-F-Fine! I-I-I'm d-d-d-doing g-g-great!" The Cheep-Cheep lied. "Brrrrrrrrrrr…"

Now at three-fourths of the way up the enormous hill, Waitress found it increasingly difficult to keep control over the center of the snowball as her unsteady steps turned into unsteady swaying. Suddenly, she lost control of the white sphere. It rolled past her, knocked away the snowball of Shimi (along with several others), and crashed into the bottom with a loud thud.

"…Oh, great…" Waitress groaned.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Frezblock Factory, Front Entrance)**

The homeboys quickly paid their cab driver with their money and retrieved their backpacks before rushing in through the gates to the factory. They spotted the clue box with ease, and took out an envelope.

"'Make your way by snowmobile to Frigid City, and search out the Frozen Fishery, where your next clue waits.'" Andy read.

"Sweet! Snowmobile ridin'!" King exclaimed. "There's our ride, right over there!"

"Neat-o." Andy agreed. "So…who's gonna drive?"

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2****nd**** (Primordial Park of Natural History, Entrance Gate)**

"'Detour. "Shoot It Down" or "Raise It Up." Partake in an ancient practice of your choosing.'" Too read. "…They both sound equally challenging…obviously both with their own pros and cons."

"Hehe, yeah…so, which one will it be?" To asked. "This is the final Detour of the race…"

"Well…you remember how we did that one Hazard back in the…um…Beanbean Kingdom?" Too recalled.

"Uh-huh."

"…We had to shoot at moving targets with water…I'd think we'd be able to hit stationary ones with arrows, don't you?"

"Sounds like a plan, sis! Great thinking!"

Agreeing on the decision, the sisters took a moment to look at the front map before hurrying off to the Shooting Range.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)**

"Not again!"

Slightly annoyed, a distressed Shimi put his fins over his face in frustration as he bounced down the hill after the dropped snowball.

"Did you drop it?" Waitress called out.

"Yeah! I have to start call over!"

Upon reaching the bottom, the Cheep-Cheep created another small snowball. He started pushing it up the hill, slowing down as it got bigger and bigger.

"You can do it!"

From the top of the slope, Waitress patiently watched her partner. On what she'd guessed was the fifth try, she'd gotten lucky and managed to push her snowball all the way up to the top; it was sitting right next to her at a size of about twice her height.

"Come on, Shimi! Focus!"

"I'm locusting—er—focusing!"

Unfortunately, upon making it halfway up the incline, Shimi accidentally lost his hold on the snowball, and it crashed back down to the bottom.

"Urgh…" He moaned, bounding back down again.

Waitress sighed and sat down. "We might be here a while…"

**To & Too: Sisters (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Ledge)**

For the Toad girls, things weren't faring much better. Although they'd just gotten started on the arrow-shooting task, they'd yet to get accustomed to the feel of the tension needed to correctly aim and fire—each of their shots had been way off in several directions.

"Okay…maybe this is much harder than we'd initially thought…" Too said admittedly.

"A lot harder…I can't seem to get my aim right onto those ropes…I keep missing!" To complained.

"So do I!" Too said understandingly. "Maybe we're supposed to pull the string back all the way or something to get it to fly farther…"

The next two arrows released missed completely.

"I think it's because I keep on jolting my fingers or something…" To murmured musingly. "It's either that, or my eyes are off."

"I have no idea…but maybe we should just switch if we can't get it…"

The next two arrows were shot. One of them struck a rope and pierced right through, causing the twines to untangle, and the block to fall into the water below with a loud splash.

"…I must've gotten lucky on that one." To chuckled. "But lucky or not…"

"…We just got our starter. Let's keep on going." Too suggested.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Frozen Fishery)**

The homeboys climbed off from their snowmobile, Andy disembarking from the back, and King sliding over the front. They hurried over to the clue box.

"'Roadblock. 'Who is ready to capture and entrap victory?'" Andy read.

"I'll take care of this one; balance out the counts." King stated. His partner handed over the folder. "…Fishing. Can't say that's somethin' of my expertise…eh, well…"

Stepping onto the ice with the remaining mound of equipment and snowshoes attached to his boots, King K carefully maneuvered his way over to an empty spot on the ice before putting his gear down. He briefly looked back at the instructions again before starting to create the first hole with the appropriate bladed tool.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Ledge)**

"This is getting a bit easier…or we're just getting lucky."

At this point, the Toads with the pink and green hair had somehow managed to knock down all but one of the ropes with their arrows, and were currently firing at it with everything they had.

"Hopefully we'll hit it soon…that clue box over there is just waiting to be opened." To remarked.

"Yeah…I sure hope we're going to get into the lead again…" Too trailed off.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)**

"Don't give up, Shimi! Please, not now!" Waitress shouted.

An exhausted, cold Shimi stubbornly shook his head at the bottom. After how many failed attempts at rolling up the snowball, his lips were still freezing, and he was still without a clue. He was fed up.

"Cover your mouth with something warm! Maybe it can help! Use your jacket—use something!"

"It'd helb if I had my backback…" Shimi mumbled, covering up his large lips with the collar of his parka. "This isn't helbing one bit now by back is dold…"

Nevertheless, the fish set to work putting together another snowball before he started working it up the hill.

**To & Too: Sisters (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Ledge 1)**

A single arrow whizzed through the air and struck the final rope that was supporting the remaining suspended ice block. The twines quickly unraveled and the rope split, sending the cube plummeting several feet down into the water.

"Yes!"

"Great job, sis!"

Excited to have finished the task, the sisters placed down their bows and quivers. The supervisor gave them the sign that it was safe to head out onto the range, so they leapt off the ledge and made their way across the sheet of ice to the four blocks, which had formed a nice, neat path across the calm waters to another small sheet of ice, where the clue box was situated.

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1****st**** (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Clue Platform)**

After carefully skipping across the icy bridge, the sisters opened the clue box to take out one of the envelopes waiting inside. They opened it to find a blue folder labeled "Route Info."

"Now, what do we have here…" To grinned before reading. "Listen to this! 'Make your way by snowmobile back to the airport and board a flight bound for Rogueport. Your next clue waits in the southwestern part of town at the edge of a street.'"

_Teams must now steer their snowmobiles the 4 miles back across Vanilla Lake to the city of Allinav, and locate a flight at Coldness Airfield that will take them the 4,218 miles back to the general region where the race all started: the city of Rogueport, a slum-like town balanced by the sneaking thieves and the working class. After being dropped off at the developing Rogueport Airfield, teams will have to head down through Rogueport Station to the western side. Here, in the same exact spot where there was a clue box in season one, waits the next clue._

"Back to Rogueport!" Too exclaimed.

"Back to Rogueport!" To repeated excitedly. "Come on, let's hurry!"

The Toads moved back across their bridge and up the steps to the ledge before scurrying through the park back in the direction of the entrance. When they got there, they were surprised to find that there were still two snowmobiles.

"Looks like we beat Shim-Stress out…" To whispered.

"Maybe we'll have a chance to get onto a flight by ourselves." Too said hopefully.

With the possibility of coming in first on their minds, the girls climbed back onto their snowmobile and started back across the frozen tundra to Allinav.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Frozen Fishery)**

It had taken quite a while, but King had managed to create all five holes and place the lines down into the water. While waiting, he'd already pre-assembled the blocks into a small containment hold.

"This is just great…our fate lies in the hands of a fish." Andy remarked.

"Yeah, I know…we might be here 'til the race is over, dawg…" King sighed. "Don't see hardly any fish down there…"

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)**

"You're almost there, Shimi! Come on!" Waitress encouraged. "You can make it this time!"

"I…sure…hobe…so…"

Pushing up the ever-growing snowball, the Cheep-Cheep struggled along to make the last few feet to the summit. At this point, it was near-impossible for him to bounce without losing control, so he was forced to propel upward by moving his body around like a worm—not only was his tail slashing back and forth, but his whole being was moving in a rhythmic movement.

"Come on, you can do it!" Waitress shouted. "Push, Shimi! Push!"

"…I'm…tryig…"

With one last shove, Shimi tried inching the snowball onto the flat part of the hill.

"Oh, no! What're you—"

Too late. The snowball dodged around Shimi and stampeded back down the knoll, forcing several tourists to dive out of the way. Groaning in disbelief, Shimi angrily turned around and started bouncing down the slope.

"Shimi, remember! Don't get mad; it'll only make it that much harder for you!" Waitress reminded pleadingly.

"…Dats…really…really…harb…" Shimi mumbled.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Frozen Fishery)**

"Anything yet?"

"…Nuh-uh."

"…Now?"

"Nope."

"…We're gonna be here forever…"

"I hope not."

-----

The sisters brought their snowmobile to a halt in one of the lots before taking out their backpacks, putting them on, and walking across the street to the main part of the airport.

**To & Too: Sisters (Coldness Airfield, Main Igloo)**

"It's actually sort of warm in here, even though it looks like it's made out of ice…"

"That's kinda weird."

"Yeah, I know…"

Walking through the main part of the airport, the Toad girls made their way over to an information desk and greeted the warmly-dressed Goomba sitting behind it.

"We need to know the fastest flight to Rogueport from here. Could you tell us what the fastest one is?" To requested.

"And also, how full up it is?" Too inquired.

"…You're out of luck…there was one that just left thirty minutes ago…" The Goomba said apologetically. "The next one here…let's see…it's Cloud Flyers 2007, leaving from Coldness Airfield at 6:30 tonight and arriving at Rogueport Airfield 7:15 tomorrow morning."

"…6:30 today?" To repeated.

Too looked at her watch. "That's kind of late for what we have to do…that's really the earliest one from this airport?"

"Yes, it is."

"Um…"

The sisters looked at each other.

"Is there anything better connecting from another airport that this one has flights to?" Too asked.

"…Uh…let me check. That kind of search might take a minute…" The Goomba started making movements on the keyboard. After several minutes, he looked back up. "Erm…the next flight from anywhere else is at Snow Land, but it arrives at 8:30 in Rogueport."

"…I guess this is our only other option, then…" To sighed. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks…"

Somewhat downcast, the sisters turned around and left the counter in the direction of Cloud Flyers to book tickets.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)**

"You're almost there, Shimi! You can get it this time, I know it! Come on, push it! You can do it!"

With one last burst of energy, the exhausted fish heaved the large snowball up onto the flat part of the rise.

"Yes! You finally got it!" Waitress clapped. "Great job!"

"I'b…so…tired…" Shimi moaned.

A waiting Mr. Blizzard leaned over and handed the team the next clue.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)**

"Thanks." Waitress tore open the envelope. "'Make your way by snowmobile back to the airport and board a flight bound for Rogueport. Your next clue waits in the southwestern part of town at the edge of a street.'"

"Roguebort? Back dere…woo-hoo…" Shimi remarked weakly.

"…You know…I'm actually sort of glad I learned how to carry you last leg…"

Seeing that her partner needed a chance to rest, Waitress picked him up and rushed down the hill before heading back to the entrance. Upon getting there, she placed him in the back seat of the snowmobile before climbing into the front.

"Now, you just sit tight, Shimi. I'll get us back to Allinav, don't you worry." Waitress assured.

"…I won't fall off, will I?"

"Of course not, silly…but I'll have to go somewhat fast if we want to get there…I don't see any other snowmobiles here…maybe that's a good thing."

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Frozen Fishery)**

"Finally…"

Andy breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the flopping fish in King's hands. The KP Koopa placed the catch into the crude container of five ice blocks.

"Under normal circums, I really dislike fishies…" King muttered. "…But this is a different story, dawg…"

He turned around to see the Lakitu floating over with the envelope dangling from the line.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Frozen Fishery)**

King carefully made his way back across the ice to join back up with his partner. While he pulled the wide snowshoes off, Andy tore off the yellow strip to the envelope and took out the Route Info from within.

"'Use your marked snowmobile to drive to the far edge of Frigid City, and locate the Primordial Park of Natural History. Your next clue waits there.'" Andy read. "Come on, let's make this a strong finish."

"Sure thing, dawg…"

This time, Andy clambered onto the front seat of the snowmobile, and King got on the back. The homeboys then veered off in the direction of the center of town.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters (Coldness Airfield, Main Igloo)**

"Two, please…"

(To & Too- 1st on Cloud Flyers 2007)

With their boarding passes on hand, the two Toad girls walked away from the Cloud Flyers counter.

"Now what do we do…it's several hours before our flight even starts boarding from the terminal." To remarked.

"I suppose we just wait and bide out our time…" Too sighed. "It's probably safe to go ahead and buy something to eat…"

"I haven't had any fast food from a chained restaurant in a while…" To giggled. "Well, if we're hungry, what're we waiting for?"

"Yeah…let's eat!"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Primordial Park of Natural History, Entrance Gate)**

"'Detour. "Shoot It Down" or "Raise It Up." Partake in an ancient practice of your choosing.'" Andy read. "Ancient practice? Really…I thought that this place still did those things regularly…"

"…Still runnin' on rumors, are we?" King asked, an amused look on his face.

"Speculations." Andy corrected. "…So…which one do you want to do?"

"Think you got what it takes to shoot down ropes?"

"…Probably."

"Then let's take care of 'Shoot It Down,' yo."

The homeboys walked in through the front gates, looked at the map for directions to the Shooting Range, and then took off jogging through the snow.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Coldness Airfield, Main Igloo)**

"Well, if it's the earliest…then we'll take two tickets on the flight, please."

(Shimi & Waitress- 2nd on Cloud Flyers 2007)

As the co-workers listened to the tickets print out from the electronic printer, they looked around the airport for signs of other teams.

"I wonder where the sisters are…we might be the only team on this flight, even though it's leaving so late…" Waitress remarked.

"Maybe they got bossed?"

"'Lost?' No…they're experts at traveling…there's no way…"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Ledge 2)**

"This is pretty easy…maybe we can catch up to the two other teams."

Within the first few tries, the guys had easily struck down two of the blocks. They were currently alternating strikes towards the remaining two ropes still attached to the overhead log.

"That'd be a sweet deal." King remarked, taking aim and releasing the arrow. He missed.

"Yup…" Andy closed one of his eyes and shot. The arrow successfully made it into one of the ropes, causing it to unwind and the block to drop into the water.

"Nice!"

After about three more arrows, King managed to shoot into the last hanging rope, and it split. That done, they waited for the word from the supervisor before rushing down onto the sheet and making their way across the path of blocks to the clue box in the center.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Clue Platform)**

"…We're goin' back to Rogueport!" King exclaimed. "Awesome; finally we can see the Finish Line, man!"

"All right!" Andy grinned. "Come on, we can't waste anymore time! We've gotta try to get the best flight there!"

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends (Coldness Airfield, Main Igloo)**

"And you're sure that you've got the earliest arriving flight possible? Hmm…that's really kinda strange…"

"Two tickets for us, dawg. Closest seats to the entrance you can get."

(Andy & King- 3rd on Cloud Flyers 2007)

After accepting the two slips passed over the counter, the homeboys wandered off in a random direction, presumably to plan.

-----

Needless to say, all three teams were quite surprised to see each other in the boarding area when it was time for the riders to begin getting on the plane (especially Shim-Stress and the Traveling Sisters in regards to the guys). When they ended up taking their seats, they realized that it was a somewhat uneven battleground to the finish. The best friends' request had ended up putting them in the very front of the economy class, while the other two teams had been placed in random areas closer to the back end of the plane.

**(Cloud Flyers 2007- Departing at 6:39 P.M.)**

_This is the sole plane carrying teams to the destination holding the Finish Line. All three teams are riding—best friends Andy and King, co-workers Shimi and Waitress, and sisters To and Too._

-----

For some reason or another, the skies above Rogueport had chosen by default to pour down showers on this particular day. Very few people were out and about; the few that were had their bodies covered by ponchos or shielded by umbrellas. Most residents and businessmen had chosen to take shelter in public buildings such as the local inn and bar, some of the second-story shops, and even the Pianta Parlor (which caused business to boom among the slot machines). This left western Rogueport virtually empty minus the falling water droplets and the occasional traveler roaming about.

Rogueport Airfield, the region's under-construction airport, saw more people catching connecting flights than it did seeing eager tourists trying for some of the local attractions; they'd usually find a way to try avoiding Rogueport, because of its unsteady record of thieves and misfits. However, a certain plane pulling in had a different story…

**(Cloud Flyers 2007- Arriving at 7:27 A.M.)**

**Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Rogueport Airfield, Terminal F1)**

After disembarking the plane, the three teams had rushed into the airport, only to get stuck in the customs line. Somehow, the places where they'd sat in the plane came into great play—whereas Andy and King had gotten into the line early and were shortly followed out by another team, a last pair had gotten stuck near the back. And all of a sudden, guess what happened?

A Toad woman had to search through her purse for the passports of herself and her seven kids.

"…A hold-up in the line…that's just the last thing we need…"

"Oh, come on…"

**Andy & King / Team ? (Rogueport Station)**

Within no time at all, the lead two teams had made their way out of Rogueport Airfield and ran across the road to the station, where they passed through the gates into western Rogueport. They immediately spotted the clue box waiting at the end of the line down the road, and rushed over to it.

**Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1****st**** (Western Rogueport)**

Ignoring the slight drizzle, the dampened homeboys tore open their envelope.

"'Make your way into central Rogueport, and choose one of the marked tables for the final task.'" Andy read.

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2****nd**** (Western Rogueport)**

"'There are thirteen travel brochures, each with descriptions of the destinations you've visited on the race.'" Waitress continued. "'Place them in order of first visited to last visited on the holder provided.'"

"'Once you have put them together correctly, your supervisor will give you a picture with the location of the Finish Line.'" Andy finished.

_For this, the final task of the race, teams will have to head into central Rogueport, and choose one of these marked tables. Here are arranged thirteen travel brochures, each labeled with a brief description of all thirteen destinations visited in the race—Mushroom City, Faire Square, Sparkle Bay, Giant Land, Beanbean Kingdom, Clayouse Mesas, Chomp Fields, Kong Island, Astro Avenue, Pristine Plains, Choco Island, Neon Heights, and Vanilla Lake. They will have to figure out the sites from the given portrayals and use them to assemble the brochures on a circular link in that exact order before the supervisor will give them another brochure depicting the location of the Finish Line. From there, the teams will be free to make their way to the platform…_

"This is the final task, dawg! Come on; we can't stop now!" King urged.

Although they were all weighed down by backpacks and soggy clothes, the two teams continued racing as they rushed into central Rogueport. Andy and King took the lead and had first priority choosing one of the tables placed in a circle around the gallows, all of which were thankfully covered by awnings. They grabbed the one closest to their entrance, forcing Shimi and Waitress over to the next one near the entrance to the back alley.

"Okay…so we have to arrange the thirteen brochures in order from the earliest to the latest on this link." Andy remarked, eyeing the holes in the top of the thirteen papers and the small metal circle resting on the table. "'A quiet, serene grassland of natural products and wildlife.' That's gotta be the Pristine Plains."

"What leg was that again?" King asked.

"Don't remember…we'll have to figure that out once we get all of the others figured out." Andy plotted.

"This one was Mushroom City on the very first leg…I remember that." Waitress stated, placing a black brochure with brightly lit pictures on the link. "Where's the one for Faire Square, Shimi?"

"Right here. I dismembered that one; it's where we got first!"

"'A freezing tundra of communities built atop an icy lake.'" Andy quoted. "That's definitely Vanilla Lake, this leg…it goes on last…"

"'A collection of landscapes under one major monarchy.'" Waitress read.

"'A desert with strange transport and hilly sand dunes.'" King stated.

"'A dark pity with the rest view of the Mars and planets.'" Shimi misread.

"Gotta be Beanbean."

"Pyramid Park, right?"

"I think so…"

"Wait, let me see that…okay, that's outer space, so…"

"Okay, I can't remember that one…just skip it…"

"Was that leg three or leg four?"

**To & Too: Sisters (Rogueport Airfield, Customs Exit)**

"Okay, thank you…"

"Finally!"

Rushing out from the customs booth, the stressed-out sisters made every effort to run and catch up as they dashed through the airport, clumsily dodging travelers and workers. Too put the passports back into the fanny pack as she raced alongside her sister.

"I sure hope we're not too late!" To exclaimed.

"We won't be! We can make up for this!" Too assured.

**Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress (Central Rogueport, Final Task Booths)**

"It's not right?"

"Nope…you have to rearrange some of those brochures…they're not in the right order."

"Darn…"

"I think we need to rearrange those two; we might've gotten Neon Heights and Mushroom City mixed up."

"Where in the world was that place with the beach…"

"Choco Island was leg eleven, wasn't it?"

**To & Too: Sisters (Rogueport Station)**

"If the last task deals with remembering where we went, then we're a shoe-in for finishing quickly." To remarked, motioning towards the camera concealed underneath her jacket.

"Hopefully it'll count towards our side in making it there first!" Too stated, covering her head from the rain.

**Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress (Central Rogueport, Final Task Booths)**

"That…is correct. You may proceed."

"What?! Really?! Awesome!"

The lucky team hurriedly accepted the photograph from the Goomba, but their faces fell upon taking a look at it.

"…I've got no idea where that is…"

"We'll just have to guess!"

Grabbing their backpacks, the two team members ran off in the direction of eastern Rogueport and the Warp Pipe that led underground to start up their game of guess-and-check before their opposition inevitably finished.

"What'd we get wrong…"

"Move this here…"

"Wait, wait…"

After a good half a minute, the team presented their finished link to the supervising Doogan. He nodded and handed them their picture.

"Aw, that's too easy! I know exactly how to get there; come on!"

**To & Too: Sisters- Currently in Last (Western Rogueport)**

"This final task sounds pretty simple…I think we can handle this in no time at all." To declared.

Shielding themselves from the falling droplets, the sisters arrived in central Rogueport just as the second team left the scene in the opposite direction. Two supervisors were blocking the completed tables, forcing them to the last one, guarded by a Toad.

"Maybe we won't need our cameras after all…these descriptions alone are good enough." Too stated.

"Yeah, that's for sure." To agreed.

Within seconds, the Toad girls had effortlessly arranged the thirteen brochures in the correct order. Slightly alarmed at this (it'd taken the other teams several tries each), the supervisor handed over the picture.

"Those pretty leaves and colors…that's simple."

"Come on, maybe we can catch the others!"

-----

**Beldam & Queen / Hamma & Flare / Husband & Wife / Pa-Patch & Cortez / Pungry & Pungent / Screamy & Torque / Smorgo & Smorga / Toodles & Toadia / Zess & Toadsworth (Boggly Woods, The Great Tree, Front Door)**

Waiting anxiously for the first-place pair to pop out into Boggly Woods and arrive at the finish line, the nine eliminated teams were lined up in a crudely-created pathway of sorts that would lead from the clearing entrance up to the finish line pedestal, situated right in front of the entrance to the Great Tree. Unlike the first season's race, however, the only other crowd watching besides the Yoshi hosts and nine couples were the calm inhabitants of the Great Tree itself—Punis and Jabbis were amassed in a semicircle behind Miles and Blaise in an excited clamor of talking and movement. Strangely enough, Flurrie and Doopliss were also present amongst the pack, patiently waiting alongside fellow veteran siblings Punio and Petuni, but they were separated from the throng, instead standing directly next to the hosts as the guests of honor.

"I can't believe we're standing at the finish line again! This is so great!" Petuni squealed. "It's almost like we ran the race again ourselves!"

"Yeah…but it sounds like it wasn't as big this time around, though." Punio remarked.

"It wasn't, dearie. That darling Miles informed me that there was a lesser distance traveled on this second race." Flurrie responded. "In comparison to what our friends Koopley and Koops and the other final three did, they only gained about half of the distance."

"Well, it's still a whole lot more than what we accomplished, eh babe?" Doopliss chuckled, nudging the cloud actress. "Least those guys went so far…we were the first two to go."

"Please don't remind me, dear…" Flurrie smiled embarrassedly, dramatically placing her hand over her forehead as if to faint.

The foursome company laughed at the memories.

"…I wonder who's going to win this one…not that I'd know who they were. I don't think I even recognize any of these people…" Punio mused, glancing around the crowd.

"I can identify nearly all of them that I can remember…" Flurrie stated, her eyes scanning around the eighteen characters in the lineup. "…I had no idea that there were Smorg in this race…"

Although the majority of the eliminated racers were calm and relaxed in their conversations, saving their energy for cheering when the teams arrived, the Smorg were causing a bit of ruckus in their own way. They were out of line, bothering their fellow competitors by leaping onto their heads, tickling their bodies.

"Get off!" Toodles shrieked, agitatedly swatting Smorgo away with a hit from her purse. "This is a DESIGNER gown, I'll have you know!"

"You said they placed fifth?!" Beldam asked disbelievingly, ridding the group of a problem by freezing Smorga with her powers. "I wouldn't believe it unless I was actually there to watch them get eliminated!"

"Fifth? You've gotta be kidding, amigo…" Cortez shook his skull body.

"Nope…it's true." Hamma insisted. "They got eliminated on leg…what was it…leg ten, I think."

"Unbelievable…that's hard to even think that they lasted so long…" Wife pushed her blonde bangs out of her eyes. "Ten legs, and they made it. Go figure…"

Watching as Blaise eliminated the other dilemma by catching Smorgo on fire with his breath, the four former racers developed sweat beads.

"…Those things are racers?" Doopliss' eyes twitched. "…They look too stupid to even open an envelope…"

"They're kinda creepy looking in a cute sort of way…" Petuni giggled uneasily.

Suddenly, Screamy, who had been ignoring the ruckus occurring behind him, perked up. "Guys, I see movement over there along the bushes!"

Quickly, Miles summoned the power of water to extinguish Smorgo's flames and defrost Smorga before shooing them and the rest of the teams back into formation, just as the frontrunners came down the far path and made a beeline to the blue Warp Pipe. They'd come and gone so fast, it'd been hard to distinguish who it was. In fact, only a few of the spectators that'd been paying extremely close attention had actually seen who they were.

"Who was that…I couldn't tell…" Pungry murmured.

"I didn't see, either…" Toadia complained.

"You'll see in a minute…" Toadsworth reassured.

All of a sudden, the team reappeared, popping up from the corresponding blue Warp Pipe a good number of yards away from the curious arrangement of teams. It wasn't until the two passed over the bridge over the gap between the two landforms and started running towards the Finish Line mat that the entire audience was able to make out the two figures. Immediately, a wild cheer broke out as the eliminated teams and watching Great Tree residents started ushering the pair towards the large red platform holding the two Yoshis.

"Sweet deal, guys! You're FIRST!" Torque informed.

"Congratulations!" Screamy exclaimed.

"Now that's somedin' special right there, especially for you!" Pa-Patch remarked.

"Muy bueno, amigos!" Cortez shouted, floating up and down.

"Go for it, dears!" Toodles encouraged.

"AWESOME JOB!" Toadia screamed.

Somewhat surprised to hear so much applauding and rooting, the drive to reach the mat was instantly fueled as the twosome started moving faster and faster, despite their lack of energy and tiredness.

"Ain't that cool!" Pungent howled. "You guys are takin' that top!"

"Very nice job, indeed!" Pungry clapped.

"The mat's right over there!" Husband pointed. "Come on; don't run so slow!"

"I'm so happy for you two!" Wife jumped wildly in excitement.

"Well…not much to say…" Queen mumbled.

"Yeah, nothing short of CONGRATS!" Beldam added.

Now only a few yards away from the procession of teams, the excited pair became more and more hyped up with all of the shouting and screaming, and gave it everything they had.

"Splendid performance, lads!" Toadsworth cheered.

"I knew you had it in you!" Zess happily declared.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Cheesecake for your thoughts?)" Smorgo suggested.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Nilly-dilly hippy-potamus!)" Smorga bawled.

"Can't really believe it…" Flare sighed. "Wish it was me doing this run…heh…"

"Almost there, guys! Keep it up, don't slow down!" Hamma shouted support.

When the thrilled competitors reached the lining, they momentarily slowed down to extend their appendages out in acknowledgement of several high-fives before stopping entirely, holding hands, and making a mighty leap onto the mat. At that point, the din quieted down, allowing for the hosts to speak without having to project too loudly.

"…After visiting twenty-eight unique destinations…traveling over forty-nine thousand miles…and taking the blunt of all the tasks we provided to impede your way…" stated Blaise, "…You've finally made it here to the Finish Line."

"All of your hard work and suffering has finally paid off, guys." Miles' face broke out into a huge grin. "…Shimi and Waitress…YOU are the official winners of the Amazing Race, and are therefore the recipients of the one…MILLION Smash coins!"

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 1****st**** Place, Winners of Amazing Race, 7:42 A.M.**

Although they'd already known the news, it took a few moments for the employees to even register the words when they were stated by the orange Yoshi himself. However, when it clicked in their brains, their tired faces were lit up like lanterns, their grins stretching across from ear to ear.

"YEAAAAAH! WE WON! WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!" Waitress screamed, clasping her hands together as she hopped up and down for joy.

"I can't believe we actually did it—we got thirst—er, first, place!" Shimi quickly caught himself.

The other teams had gathered around in a small arc, clapping and cheering around the elevated platform as the elated co-workers basked in their victorious glory. But!

It was short-lived.

The blue Warp Pipe on the other side of the clearing shook. Unnoticed before, the two other teams started a desperate footrace to claim the next spot. Observing this, the viral notice spread, causing the nine eliminated teams to open back up again in their two lines leading up to the mat.

In quick succession, the runners-up jumped on. They'd already seen Shim-Stress posed atop the mat from when they entered on the other side, so they weren't surprised to be taking consolation places.

"Andy and King, you are team number two." Miles informed. "To and Too, that makes you team number three."

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 2****nd**** Place, 7:42 A.M.**

**To & Too: Sisters- 3****rd**** Place, 7:42 A.M.**

"It ain't first, but we'll accept that." King nodded.

"Definitely; second is a really high position, and we're not ashamed of it at all." Andy admitted.

"Well, we tried our best, and that's all that matters." To remarked.

"Yeah, and we had fun…so if that doesn't count, I don't know what would!" Too exclaimed.

With all three finalist teams standing on the mat, the other eighteen competitors leapt on to join them in a frenzy of wild handshakes and hugs.

-----

**Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 1****st**** Place**

"I'm just so happy that we were able to run this race…getting first wasn't what really mattered…it was…just that we were able to make it through all of this." Waitress sniffed, dabbing at the corners of her eyes for emphasis. "I don't know how I would've fared at this game with anyone else… Shimi was a bit hard to understand at times, but he was a great partner…I was so lucky to have entered with him, and I've already decided… If anything happens between me and my current boyfriend, that little chef is my next choice in line…no offense though, babe…"

"Huh? What? I bought I already mold—er, told, you, I'm not up for intraviews! Stop it! Get away, please! I don't bike—I mean, like, intermuse!" Shimi frantically waved his fins, directing the attention of the camera away from him as he blushed in embarrassment.

-----

**Andy & King: Best Friends- 2****nd**** Place**

"With such a large competition field, it's not at all bad to have to settle for second in the long run. I mean, after all this…I couldn't really care if we'd gotten first or third, either. We ran a great race…things got bumpy along the way with our rivalry and stuff, but in the end, we did it." Andy stated firmly. "Both of us. I couldn't imagine going through anything like this with anyone but King K.—not even any members of my own team. And when you spend nearly twenty-four-seven with a fighting team at the Glitz Pit and would rather hang out with someone else, that's really saying something."

"Well, what is there to say, yo? We navigated the world, takin' names and kickin' butt all the way through. It ain't always the end that matters. This time, it was the journey. We managed to make it through every single challenge we were facin', and not once did we really mess up. I got no regrets, dawg, no regrets. And in only one life, you don't want any, so I'm grateful." King explained.

-----

**To & Too: Sisters- 3****rd**** Place**

"At first, neither of us were really all too sure of how we'd do…we were expecting to make it through a few legs…nothing too flashy in particular. But look at us now! We entered the top three and raced through the final leg." To fiddled with the buttons of her own camera as she looked down, pausing to search for more to say. "It's been a truly amazing experience…and we didn't miss out on anything. The Traveling Sisters Two made it through the entire race route, and we were able to capture it all on camera, too!"

"I'm willing to bet that not very many people are as lucky as we are, getting to participate in something like this race. It sorta makes me feel kinda sad, having to make our sister miss out on it, though…" Too admitted.

"Yeah…"

"But at least we were able to do it!" Too perked up again, giggling. "This race has really made me realize, though…no matter how much you love traveling like us, there's no place like home. And, yeah, we have one…it's where we'd really like to go right now after going through all of this."

-----

**Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 4****th**** Place**

"We're not too upset about havin' to settle for fourth place, but we really would've liked to break into the top three. Eh…just goes to show ya what playin' so hard and rough can do, but that's just what we're used to…our strategies and playing styles from the Glitz Pit carried over to the race. Although they didn't carry us all the way, look how far they did take us. It's somethin' to be proud about to say we made it to the second-to-last leg…and we won't lie; we had fun." Hamma grinned good-naturedly. "Just too bad Bamma missed out…"

"Tch, he wouldn't have liked it. Unlike him, we're appreciative of what we get. After having to suffer through all this, I'm lookin' forward to seein' what we can do back in the Glitz Pit…we're takin' that top spot down! I've never felt so in shape in my whole life!" Flare flexed his arm's muscles for prominence. "Well…actually…I think that if I'd been with Bamma, I woulda done better and placed higher in most of those legs…"

"…Why you little—"

-----

**Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- 5****th**** Place**

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Cherry chickens quack at dawn!)" Smorgo exclaimed. "SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I hate candied ships on the high beds!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Stroganoff turntables go 'walla-walla!')" Smorga screeched. "SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Curtain up the bowels and batten dough ferrets!)"

At that point, the filming crew ignored the Smorg, due to their incomprehensibility. They don't say very much that's important anyway, right? Right?

-----

**Zess & Toadsworth: Long Distance Dating- 6****th**** Place**

"This race has really given Zess and I the opportunity to really get to know one another, and I must say…I'm truthfully impressed. Never would I have imagined learning some of the finer details about not only her, but also about myself, during this competition, and for that, I'm eternally grateful." Toadsworth said humbly. "We may have been the oldest ones here, but I say! We claimed sixth, and that isn't bad at all. Especially considering one of our very own friends ended up winning…"

"And we're really happy for Shim-Stress, because one team of the alliance ended up winning in the end. I guess all those hours we spent in Sequesterville, making wishes up to the stars paid off." Zess chuckled amusedly. "Well, it's official now… Toadsy-worthsy and I are officially…in a relationship with one another. Isn't that right, dear?"

"Of course, Zessy…"

The two elderly Toads leaned together for a quick exchange of pecks on the cheek.

-----

**Beldam & Queen: Formerly Servant & Master- 7****th**** Place**

"In my opinion, it's really strange how we did…we placed in the same exact rank that my sisters Vivian and Marilyn did in the first race…" Beldam mused. "I'm really hoping that was just pure coincidence, because I know I could've done better. It was just a slow start for us, and from the get-go, we had a whole lot of trouble that just ended up bringing us down."

Queen tossed her flowing hair aside with a huff. "Will you quit reminding me, Beldam? It's bad enough I bled my feelings out in front of the camera, much less ended up taking seventh out of twelve…oh well. It's been a thousand years since I've seen anything of interest…at least I've got an idea now of what kinds of things have changed… This new world is full of new opportunities…in more than just ONE way…hehehe…"

-----

**Husband & Wife: Married- 8****th**** Place**

"Needless to say, the two of us are might quite proud of Shim-Stress for making it all the way and winning the race. I admit, I had my doubts, but they did it in honor of us, which was nice." Husband smiled fondly. "Wish we could've made it that far, too, but things just didn't work out that way. It was a great way to see the world, too—I've never really done that much traveling, so it was a great pleasure to be doin' it side-by-side with my dear wife…ain't that right, honey bun?"

"Oh, you…" Wife giggled disapprovingly, lightly slapping her spouse over the shoulder. "We didn't get a chance to do all that we wished we could've, and we really missed out on some of the fun…but with all the daily stress and stuff I have to deal with at home…HIM included…I don't know how I would've handled it. So, we'll settle for eighth…it was fun for us while it lasted."

Hsuband gave Wife a hurt, wanting look. She eventually sighed and gave in. The Twilians embraced and kissed each other lovingly.

-----

**Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 9****th**** Place**

"So far, we were the highest-placing Punis ever to come onto the race…not too much of a record, considering it's only in its second time, but it's still a good thing. We made it into the fifth leg…we, the tiny underdogs that everyone overlooked." Pungry snorted. "It's kinda weird how we managed to even stay in for those five legs, too… After just barely staying in the whole time, hanging around in the last few slots, we finally fell. But it's okay…we did our best, and we did what we could."

"It ain't all that great that we missed out on so many great tasks…that in itself kinda makes me a bit angry that we got ousted so dang early." Pungent shook his head. "…Guess it's really true what they all are sayin'…you never really do know what you got 'til it's gone…up until we were the ones abolished, I was takin' each and every step for granted. Sorta wish I could do the race again…and if I did…Pungry and I'd surely do better."

-----

**Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- 10****th**** Place**

"We, as a teacher-student team in the field of music, had quite an ambiguous relationship in this competition from the beginning. Our time on the race was short-lived, but in my opinion, it was used to its full extent." Toodles reasoned. "Never have I heard of, much less, experienced, the blooming of such a remarkably beautiful association between two persons whose bond is supposed to merely be one of profession. I'm almost certain that if this pairing of a piano teacher and her learner were able to forge such a deep liaison in such a short period of time, then others like us around the world can do it too."

"I bet that if Luigi saw how we did, he'd be proud of us, no matter what… We got tenth, sure, but Toodles and I learned a whole lot from each other just during our time on the race and the period afterward while waiting in limbo for the end. I think that's something really special." Toadia declared. "It's so cool how the race is able to build together relationships like the one we have, and I really think that anyone else who follows in our footsteps will feel the same way in the end. There's so much more to it than just running at breakneck speeds, you know?"

-----

**Pa-Patch & Cortez: Exploring Partners- 11****th**** Place**

"Cortez and I didn't make it very far at all…it's not that I'm disappointed or somefin' like that, but I just wished we coulda handled the race a little better and stayed in a bit longer… At least I've got a new sailin' partner now, though…I got so attached to living life at Keelhaul Key, I nearly never went out! So…I guess somefin' good came outta this in the end." Pa-Patch shrugged.

"My newest amigo and I certainly didn't fare all that well…but the time we spent on the race certainly was enlightening. Being a pirate, I never really explored the big city before…just deserted islands and various caves. A few new doors were opened now, even though I don't got hands…" Cortez cackled. "All's well that ends well…"

-----

**Screamy & Torque: Best Friends- 12****th**** Place**

"Erm…out of all the teams that participated, we were the ones to do the worst, I guess…we ended up being eliminated first, so that really sucked on our part…luck wasn't on our side at all on the very first leg." Torque recalled. "Seriously…when the world's against you like it was against us that day, there's nothing else to do but fight it. In reality, we won the battle even though we lost the race…we made it through without being killed!"

Screamy rolled his eyes. "Sure… Well, I have to say that I'm happy for the winners of this race, even though I didn't get to know them very well…it was more of just getting acquainted with the other eliminated teams as they came in, one by one…but we still had a good time."

-----

After a bit of the excitement had died down, the twelve teams of TTYD2 sat and stood together in a pose on the Finish Line with Miles and Blaise as the camera snapped a shot. It was more than just a developing picture capturing a single moment in time. It was a memory—a memory of the exciting journey that a group of twenty-four people was lucky enough to partake in.

-----

_Leg 13 Trivia_

- The two-part Roadblock for the finale was based off of the original Detour that was planned, "Craft" or "Catch," and shortened to make it possible for just one team member.

- Cloud Flyers 2007, the flight that carries the teams to Rogueport, is numbered the way it is in remembrance of the year in which this fiction was finished.

- This leg marks the first time the author has referenced the customs aspect of an airport because of its overall importance in the leg.

- The fact that only a fraction of the overall population that exists in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door attends the Finish Line ceremony parodies off of the fact that TTYD2 received very little attention in comparison to its poorly-written predecessor. The author shuddered when reading through TTYD1 for details and ideas.

- Both Leg 12 and the Leg 13 Finale were completed while traveling abroad in Europe. Over a period of days, the author managed to stick with the story and finish it off while staying in a small town called Bognor Regis of England in the United Kingdom. Part of his inspiration came from listening to music, and somehow, peering out the second-story window of the house he was staying at.

-----

Author's Note (Completed story on August 9, 2007.): The main leg itself takes up over, I think, 16,000 words by itself alone, while the entire episode in itself is over 20,000. Getting a bit on the lengthy side, but at least it's one of the biggest Mario fanfics in terms of words now that it's finished…

So. The Amazing Race 2: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has finally drawn to its close. I'm so glad that it's over… It never fails to fascinate me just how much my writing style has changed from the beginning of TTYD1 all the way up until now…for sure, there's quite a bit of modification in there.

Thanks again to all of the readers and reviewers who have come to this story, especially those in particular who have bothered to repeatedly come time after time to read its long chapters, and even review (and out of all of them, SSBFreak, that means you the most—sticking with this time and time again, I really appreciate your unending loyalty to have pushed this series along ever since its debut). I hope everyone enjoyed it (despite its length), and that some will return for the third season. Just a heads up, though…I won't be surprised if you're uninterested, since the new group of sub-characters is even more unrecognized, but we'll see how it goes…

Until then, it's me, _milesyoshidino34_, and his two Yoshi personas, signing off. See you around.


End file.
